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The Columbus Lady Cardinals continued their strong start to the 2026 volleyball season Tuesday night, traveling to Sealy and coming away with a 3-0 sweep over the Lady Tigers.
Columbus captured the opening set 25-15, battled through a much tighter second set for a 27-25 victory, and closed the night with another 25-15 win in the third set.
Coming into Tuesday’s match with a 23-2 record, the Lady Cardinals showed both their ability to take control and their composure when challenged.
Columbus head coach Kayley Johns was pleased with the way her entire team contributed throughout the night.
“We just came off of a big tournament and just playing at a high level,” Johns said. “Tonight, I felt like everybody contributed. We’re passing pretty well, we’re in system a lot, and we’re able to finish big plays.”
Columbus established itself early with the 25-15 opening-set victory, but Sealy responded in the second and pushed the Lady Cardinals throughout the frame.
The Lady Cardinals were forced to battle beyond the normal 25-point mark before eventually pulling out the 27-25 win, giving Columbus a 2-0 advantage in the match.
For Johns, maintaining consistency and responding quickly to mistakes were important parts of the performance.
“We talked about being consistent, making sure that we have a lot of energy all the time and that we’re finishing the plays, playing together,” Johns said. “Not allowing one mistake to affect us for a long time, getting over it fast, and I think they did a really good job with that.”
After surviving Sealy’s challenge in the second, Columbus regained control in the third. The Lady Cardinals finished the match with a 25-15 victory to secure the straight-set sweep.
Columbus also welcomed Harper Gerik (No. 5) back to the court after she missed the previous week with an injury. Johns believes getting Gerik back into the lineup is another step toward getting the Lady Cardinals where they want to be.
“We still have work to do,” Johns said. “We’re playing at a really high level. We’re playing as a team, but No. 5 didn’t play this whole past week. She’s been out injured, and so she’s back on the court. We want to keep playing at a high level and playing consistent together.”
Despite the Lady Cardinals’ early-season success, Johns made it clear the program has much bigger aspirations.
“Our goal is to win state,” Johns said. “We’re going to dream big. We’re going to have big goals, and that’s what we’re trying for this year.”
Tuesday’s sweep showed several sides of Columbus — the ability to control a set, withstand a challenge in a tight one and then respond by finishing the match strong.
For a Lady Cardinals team already playing at a high level, the goal now is to keep building toward what it hopes will be a deep postseason run.
The Lady Cards will face Giddings on Friday, Sept. 4, on their home court in Columbus at 4:30 p.m. Then they will stay on their home court to take on Hallettsville for their first district game of the year to begin their playoff push at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
