Following a remarkable Spike-Out Tournament with a tournament title, DeafDigest Sports Editor, Barry Strassler, today named the Texas School for the Deaf (TSD) Rangers DeafDigest Sports’ 2016 Volleyball Team of the Year!
With a tough schedule and playing bigger schools, we finished 4th in our district with top 2 district teams going far in the state playoffs. In addition to that, all but one opponents on the non-district schedule had winning record. And, we managed to finish with 23 wins.
Not only that, but also, the team went to Spike Out in Indiana and won the whole thing, defeating top-tier deaf volleyball schools in Indiana and Maryland. We defeated Maryland twice there.
TSD Head Coach, RJ Kaufman said, “It's an honor to be selected as Team of Year by DeafDigest Sports. Before the season, our main goals for this year were to win the Spike Out Tournament, to have a winning record - given with our strength of schedule - to be qualified for the State Playoffs and be recognized as Team of the Year. He also added, "we had role players who fill in important parts of various positions so being selected as Team of the Year has significance effect on our hard work during the season!"
Barry Strassler has followed Deaf schools’ athletics closely for many years, and the Deaf community respects his extreme knowledge of sports, so this is something that means a lot to us,” adds Hamilton.
Barry's comments from DeafDigest Sports daily email, read below
2016 DeafDigest Sports Volleyball Team of the Year
Texas School for the Deaf
Texas defeated Maryland twice at the National Spike Out, and it was the clincher, even though it was by a
razor-thin margin. In these all-important third sets in the crucial matches against Maryland,
Texas won 15-14 and 15-13. Both teams were split 1-1 in these first two sets against
each other.
Texas upgraded its schedule this season to play against the toughest opponents possible.
Maryland overcame the disappointment in losing to Texas to win two separate league regular
season championships and two separate league post-season playoff championships.
Keep in mind, again, the edge Texas had over Maryland was just a razor-thin margin.