Lady Cards have big shoes to fill

The Columbus Lady Cardinals are preparing for the 2024 season in their training camp and have big shoes to fill.

Last season, the Lady Cards posted a 43-6 record and a 14-0 district record, making them district champions.

They rode this wave all the way to the semifinals of the state championship, where they were eliminated by Gunter. The team’s elimination also ended the high school careers of several well-known Lady Cards.

Four seniors will not be returning to the Lady Cards this season, namely Ally Tribe, Sage Thomas, Ember Mandola and Claire Klausmeyer. All four leave big shoes to fill, having held most of the starting positions on the team.

Additionally, the Lady Cards lose Columbus ISD’s all-time kill leader and all-time assist leader in Tribe and Thomas. With the departure of Klausmeyer and Mandola, the Lady Cards are left with some holes on defense to fill.

The good news for fans of the Lady Cards is that they have the talent to fill each of those gaps and be just as competitive as they always have been. As far as the kill production the Lady Cards have received from Tribe, they have a player ready to step into that role and hit the ground running this season.

Taylor Morrow was just behind Tribe in kills last season. There were games where Tribe had 30 kills, but Morrow was right behind with 17. With Tribe now playing volleyball at UTSA, Morrow will have plenty of opportunities to prove himself.

Another returner who will help stabilize the team this season is Caylie Neisner. She was one of the best, if not the best, libero in the district last season and shows no signs of slowing down.

Throughout training camp, Neisner has emerged as a vocal leader who also leads by example. She has the will to help the team get over the hump and she shows that urgency in practice and the team feeds off that energy.

Last but not least, Gracie Schobel is back, bringing energy and excitement to the team. Schobel has a knack for getting her teammates to play easy and really enjoy the rigors of the volleyball season.

She does a great job of keeping spirits up and none of her teammates have anything bad to say about her. Combined with the fact that she is a very talented and smart volleyball player, the Lady Cards are poised to go deep into the playoffs again this season.

The Lady Cards begin their season on Thursday, August 15th when they host the Columbus Varsity Volleyball Classic.