THE ETBLITZ.COM TEAM OF THE WEEK | Hey, it’s the TATUM LADY EAGLES!
Our team of the week honoree is so good, we don’t even know that ‘team of the week’ is a good enough title.
They’re in contention for ‘team of the year’ already, and their district schedule only started a hot minute ago.
We’re talking about coach Leven Barker and his Tatum High School Lady Eagles volleyball program – they’re the ETBlitz.com Team of the Week!
Coach Barker and the girls are like Bachman-Turner Overdrive: yeah, they’re takin’ care of business (Bachman-Turner Overdrive – Takin’ Care Of Business (Live) (youtube.com)).
Tatum is 29-5 on the season, is currently on a nine-game winning streak, and is unbeaten (12-0) at home.
And people are noticing. In the last three weeks in the Texas Girls Coaches Association poll, the girls have gone from No. 13 in Class 3A to number eight, to number six last week, to number three in the poll that came out on Monday (TEXAS GIRLS COACHES ASSOCIATION (austintgca.com)).
See it for yourself, but Bushland is No. 1 in 3A (28-4), with Bells (22-3) at No. 2. Tatum is third, as mentioned. Ponder (22-4) is fourth. Boyd (22-3) is fifth. Goliad (25-) is sixth. Harmony (22-6) is 16th, and another ETBlitz.com-area program, West Rusk, is ranked No. 23. The Lady Raiders are 20-8 overall for coach Melissa Abrams.
Tatum plays in UIL District 16-3A, and that entire district is in the ETBlitz coverage area: Arp, Gladewater, Sabine, West Rusk, Troup and White Oak.
The Lady Eagles have beaten Harmony – just did it, in a non-district matchup back on Sept. 10 (25-15, 25-13, 25-16), and they’ve beaten West Rusk, too, last week, although they’ve got to face the Lady Raiders again on Oct. 11.
Another recent win: state-ranked Beckville, who seems to be among state title contenders every year.
Last week, Tatum beat West Rusk, as mentioned, and had a tough matchup with White Oak – that one went all five sets.
Tatum outlasted a very good White Oak team, coming back after losing the first set, 22-25, for a 22-25, 25-29, 23-25, 25-15, 15-7 win.
Kamdyn Scott had 30 kills, 21 digs, four blocks and two aces, and Taydem Barker had 51 assists, nine digs and two aces. Kaysen Foster had 10 kills, 12 digs and two aces; Karly Stroud had 24 digs and two aces, Kyndal Greenwood had 11 digs.
In a 25-16, 28-26, 25-8 win over West Rusk in New London last Tuesday, Barker had 36 assists, eight digs and three kills; Scott had 20 kills, six digs, four aces and three blocks; Foster had 10 kills, six digs and two aces; Aundrea Bradley had four kills; Greenwood and Braylia Williams each had four digs, and Williams added three kills and three blocks; and Taylor Jacobs had three kills and five digs.
They’ve been strong throughout the season, not a one-man or a two-man, or even a three-man team, but a …team.
Tatum is now in the top five in the state in 3A, aiming to make this a very special season. And with superior talent, superior coaching and an unbelievable home court advantage, they look to be one of East Texas’ teams to beat.
We know this: they’re the ETBlitz.com Team of the Week for Sept. 16-21. Congratulations, girls!