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The Columbus Lady Cardinals off ic ial ly kicked off the 2026 season in scrimmages at Foster High School on Friday, Aug. 7.
These scrimmages allowed the Lady Cards to prepare themselves for the upcoming season.
The scrimmages were 30 minutes long with a running clock, and coaches took full advantage of that time to further evaluate their team. Lady Cards Head Coach Kayley Johns said she and her coaching staff were evaluating players to see where they will fit in the lineup.
“The first scrimmages of the year are always fun and interesting, and it’s a great opportunity for us to see different options,” Johns said.
The Lady Cards have a few young players on the team this year and a good number of returners. Johns said both groups have been playing excellently so far, and she is proud that all of her players are picking each other up and supporting one another.
Johns and the Lady Cards inch one day closer to the start of the regular season, and she thinks her team is eager and ready to get started.
“I think everyone has bought into this season. We have a great group this year and they have been supportive of each other and are going to work hard to achieve all of the goals they have set for themselves this year,” Johns said.
Johns said that she noticed her returning players stepping up and becoming leaders this season and she is proud to see them taking on that role.
Johns said there’s still more fine tuning to do before their first game of the season against El Campo on Tuesday, Aug. 11.
“There are definitely a few kinks we want to work out,” Johns said. “We just tell them that mistakes happen not just in volleyball but in life, we stress to them to get over those mistakes quickly, move on to the next play and just build each other up.”
The Lady Cards will start the season on the road when they travel to El Campo on Tuesday, Aug. 11, at 6 p.m. and then return back to their nest to host the Kecia Davis Memorial Tournament on Thursday, Aug. 13, through Saturday, Aug. 15.
