The Highlands Owls are sitting pretty in first place in District 27-5A with a perfect 3-0 record, and if you told someone that just a few weeks ago, they might have laughed you out of the gym. This team, after all, dropped its first four matches of the 2026 season, a brutal start for a squad returning six starters and two other letterwinners from a 25-14 team that punched a ticket to the second round of the playoffs last year. What a ride so far!
The Early Season Gut Punch That Forged a Dynasty
Seriously, those first four matches? Rough. Senior right side hitter Jenesis Rodriguez, a four-year letterwinner, put it plainly: “It was us going through the motions, not wanting to give it our all.” You hate to hear that, especially when you know what this team is capable of. They got swept at home by Southwest Legacy in a non-district opener. Then, things got even tougher at the Corpus Christi ISD Spikefest, where they suffered losses against Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial, Troy, and Sinton on the first day. Sophomore outside hitter Cybella Davila, who absolutely went off with 13 kills against Brackenridge, admitted, “When we went into that tournament, it was a very rough start. We got first in copper, but that first day was really hard on us.” That’s the kind of adversity that can break a team, you know? But these Owls? They just learned from it.
From “Finally” to Fearless: The Shift That Changed Everything
The good news is, those early losses didn’t fester. The very next day after that Spikefest struggle, on August 15, the Owls notched their first victory of the season, a critical two-set win against Corpus Christi Miller. That “finally” moment? It was everything. Junior setter Riley Reyes, who dished out 28 assists and snagged nine digs against Brackenridge, captured the feeling perfectly: “It felt like the fruits of our labor were coming true. We worked so hard, and that’s how we are supposed to play. It felt like it was finally working for us.” They didn’t stop there. They closed that day with victories against Llano and Tidehaven, securing the tournament’s copper division title. That momentum was a game changer, proving to themselves they could hang. “We’re a good team, but it’s harder because we’re underdogs,” Reyes said, noting how “taller” and “towering” teams in the tournament intimidated them early. “But, we’ve come to learn from that tournament that we can compete with them and if we have the mindset that we can win, then we should win.”
Now, after sweeping Brackenridge 25-20, 25-12, 25-21 on Tuesday, the Owls have won eight of their last 10 matches, pushing their overall record to 13-6. They controlled most of the match, rarely trailed, and when they were down, they flipped the script fast. “The fact we can come back from being down is one of the biggest assets of our team and it’s something we’ve really worked toward,” Reyes added. Davila said it best: “That showed us that we are a very gritty team that can push through. Everyone had to show what they could do, and they just showed out.” What a turnaround. This team has heart, and they’re proving it every single game. Watch out, District 27-5A, the Owls are flying high!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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