Five weeks ago, Macey Hughes packed up the first 15 years of life and headed with her family from Oregon to Texas. With such a move, as often is the case, came some proverbial questions.

Hughes wondered how she would fit in at a new high school and on a new volleyball team. She wondered if she could compete against the players in Texas, which has more girls playing volleyball than any other state and is one of the country’s hotbeds for talent.

As for her first inquiry, Hughes has adjusted seamlessly to her new surroundings. She provided a definitive reply to the second question on Tuesday.

The 6-foot-1 Hughes provided an early spark as host Cornerstone defeated New Braunfels Canyon 25-20, 25-20, 25-19 before a packed gymnasium. It is the second time this season the Warriors have topped Canyon (26-6), a 2021 Class 5A state semifinalist. They won 25-19, 26-24 at the Fraulein Volleyfest in New Braunfels on Aug. 20.

“This team has been the best thing about my move,” Hughes, a sophomore outside hitter, said after her team won for the 29th time in its last 30 matches. “The girls were so inviting. Right away, everybody came up to me, wanted to be my friend. Right away, we all just clicked.”

The camaraderie has also been felt on the floor, where the Warriors (37-2) boast a roster with at least eight Division I prospects. Hughes finished with seven kills, a .429 hitting percentage, and two blocks. She had three kills early in the opening set that jump-started Cornerstone after an early deficit. The teams were tied at 16 when the Warriors pulled away with a 7-3 spurt, highlighted by five straight kills from senior outside hitter Nayeli Gonzalez, who is committed to Iowa State.

In the second frame, the Warriors rallied from a 14-11 deficit by reeling off four straight points behind back-to-back kills from sophomore outside hitter Megan Fitch and an ace from sophomore setter Kaia Thiele. Canyon pulled even at 16-16 before the Warriors responded with a 5-1 run sparked by kills from senior middle hitter Hannah Spencer, junior outside hitter and Baylor pledge Grace Carroll and Gonzalez and an ace from senior libero Alyssa Manitzas, who is committed to Notre Dame.

Unlike in the first two sets when it needed late runs to pull away, Cornerstone led from start to finish in the third. Behind the serving of junior defensive specialist Maria Avendano, the Warriors jumped to a 10-3 advantage and led by as many as 10 (21-11). Canyon fended off five match points before Cornerstone finally prevailed.

Gonzalez led Cornerstone with a match-high 19 kills. Fitch had 11 kills and Spencer added eight. Senior setter Taylor Anderson, a Purdue commit, had 27 assists and three aces. Manitzas and Rylee Busse, who is headed to Memphis, had 10 digs apiece.

Canyon, which begins District 26-5A play at home vs. Kerrville Tivy on Friday, was led by senior middle hitter Courtney Pope, who had 13 kills and a .423 hitting clip. Maya Jones and Danielle Classy each contributed seven kills, setter Megan Hawkins had 32 assists, libero Isabell Woo had 17 digs and Sala Nuu chipped in 16 digs.

“It’s definitely a very high caliber of play,” Hughes said. “It’s so fun. I feel like my comfort and confidence have both gone up.”

terrence@terrencesports.com
Twitter: @sa_terrence1