The quiet wait. A tense time of consideration and strategy, picking out the kinks in the armor of the opposing side. Six crouching cats, ready to spring at a moment’s notice, have their eyes on their teammate who’s in control of the ball. She takes a calming breath, throws the ball into the air and propels it over the net. All of a sudden the tense silence is broken by the sounds of yells and sneakers squeaking on the court. The volleyball game has begun.

Finishing the season 22-21, the Lady Colts secured a spot in the playoffs.

“All the hard work that we did, it’s paying off,” Tessa McElroy, senior, said. “We fight every game, our motivation is to make it to state.”

The close season has been a nail-bitter for the team but they have been successful.

“In all honesty we have come farther than we thought,” Nicole Mitchell, junior, said. “We have overcome lots of bumps.”

With the first playoff game tonight, the girls are both excited and apprehensive.

“You gotta fake it till you make it,” McElroy said. “The ultimate goal is to get to state and that is the big motivation for us.”

The playoffs are a single elimination bracket, which means that if one game is lost then it’s all over.

“We are matched up pretty evenly,” Kim Spencer, head coach, said. “Nothing is really gonna shock us.”

The Lady Colts take on the Abilene Eagles tonight at Brock High School in Weatherford.