SPORTS
Bellevue launches first volleyball season
For the first time in school history, Bellevue will be starting volleyball practices next week.
Picked to lead the Lady Eagles into a new sport is Mollee Kirk, a 22-year-old 2019 graduate from Windthorst who got both her bachelor’s and master’s in business administration at Texas Tech University in four years.
She also was helping coach during her time at college at Lubbock’s Southcrest Christian School and had most recently coached her sister’s club team.
Despite that time put in, Kirk was not initially planning to pursue coaching and was instead working as an area manager at Amazon this spring before she was contacted by Bellevue, on a tip from one of her old coaches at Windthorst, to talk about its new volleyball program.
“I didn’t realize it was going to be an interview, but it was,” Kirk said. “They said they would get back with me in a couple of weeks and two days later they offered the job.”
After thinking it over for a time, Kirk accepted knowing she could have more of an impact on young girl’s lives than if she stayed on at Amazon.
Kirk was a multi-sport athlete at Windthorst, but her main sport and passion she poured 10 years into was volleyball. She was a middle-blocker who was named to the Texas Sports Writers Association all-state third team and the Texas Girls Coaches Association all-state first team in both her junior and senior seasons.
That playing experience along with the coaching experience she got in college will be needed as Bellevue is starting from the beginning as only a couple of girls in the program have played the sport at all.
“They are super eager and excited to learn,” Kirk said. “They listen whenever I give them critiques. They are excited for this new sport. The good thing about it is most of the girls are younger, like freshman or sophomores, so we will be able to build it so that in a couple of years when they are upperclassmen we can compete.”
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
Nocona’s volleyball team headed to Bowie for a three-team scrimmage with the host team and Ponder Aug. 7.
Each team played the other two for 30 minutes in the Lady Rabbit gym. Lady Indian Coach Sandy Langford said she thought things went well for a first scrimmage.
“Just like any young team that is trying to find itself in a first scrimmage, We looked really good at times and at others not so much,” Langford said. “We’re forming a new team after losing a lot of seniors.”
Langford said the squad would have one thing go wrong and it would explode into several things. That will need to stop for a successful year in Langford’s mind.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
Bowie’s tennis team is now 3-3 for the non-district campaign with a 1-2 week.
In the Rabbits’ home opener Aug. 5 against Graham, Bowie posted a 13-6 match win with the girls completing a 9-0 sweep.
Jessi Mayfield and Angeles Alvarez won 9-8 (7-4) while Payton Goodwin and Maddie Schwarz were 8-1 winners as were Avery DeWeber and Avery Bonham.
In girl’s singles Willow Seibert won 8-2 in No.1 1 singles. Goodwin and Mayfield were each 8-5 winners. Alvarez posted an 8-1 win. Schwarz won 9-8 (8-5) with Deweber taking an 8-2 decision.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
Two major portions of Nocona’s 2023 bond issue are very close to being completed.
The new high school gym should be complete in time for the volleyball team to begin practice there Aug. 1, according to Superintendent Dr. David Waters. Ground on the 22,000 square foot facility was broken on Oct. 18, 2024.
Waters said a punch list meeting with the construction manager was scheduled for earlier this week with final touchups expected shortly afterwards. Fans should be able to enjoy the facility for the volleyball team’s season opener Aug. 11.
Fans will enjoy the new gym from entering the facility which has glass walls, enabling fans to watch the game from the foyer. Once inside the gym itself, there is stadium, chair back seating on the home side allowing for a much more comfortable experience.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
-
NEWS3 years agoSuspect indicted, jailed in Tia Hutson murder
-
NEWS4 years ago2 hurt, 1 jailed after shooting incident north of Nocona
-
NEWS3 years agoSO investigating possible murder/suicide
-
NEWS4 years agoWreck takes the life of BHS teen, 16
-
NEWS3 years agoMurder unsolved – 1 year later Tia Hutson’s family angry, frustrated with no arrest
-
Show us something good9 years agoCountry music star children perform in Bowie
-
100th Birthday4 years agoLooking back at the 1958 Centennial edition of The Bowie News
-
NEWS3 years ago
Sheriff’s office called out to infant’s death