SUGAR LAND — It was a disappointing season finale for Cinco Ranch, as the Cougars were swept for only the second time this season in their Class 6A regional quarterfinal playoff game against Ridge Point on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at Wheeler Fieldhouse.

Cinco Ranch lost 25-14, 25-20, 25-19, and was defeated for just the seventh time in 42 games this year.

The Cougars held the lead for most of the third set and some of the second set, but ultimately struggled to execute well on offense. Cinco Ranch had 11 errors in the first set and seven errors in the third set. Even the close margin in the second set was aided by eight points from Ridge Point errors.

As usual, the Panthers (45-4) were led by their pair of Division I commits in seniors Reagan Rutherford and Claire Jeter. The Kentucky and Texas A&M recruits, respectively, combined for 25 kills and five blocks.

In contrast, the Cougars came out flat. Cinco Ranch got into a 7-3 hole early, forcing coach Danielle Wells to call an early timeout. The Cougars fought back to an 8-7 score after a pair of Ridge Point errors and kills by seniors Madalyn O’Brien and Danyle Courtley. However, the Panthers scored the next seven points and cruised to a 25-14 victory in the first set.

“We just didn’t do what we planned to do,” Wells said. “Our passing wasn’t there, therefore, we couldn’t do what we tried to do (on offense), what our game-plan was.”

Courtley and O’Brien were stellar when they got good strikes on the ball, finishing with 12 and eight kills, respectively, but that took effort the entire night for Cinco Ranch. Struggles with receiving serves and dealing with the Ridge Point attack led to fewer opportunities for Cinco Ranch’s primary outside hitters.

In the second set, Cinco Ranch again got into an early hole, 12-7, but this time fought back, tying the game 18-18 on a block by O’Brien. The teams traded points to 19-19, but the Cougars couldn’t ever get over the hump to take a lead. Ridge Point scored six of the next seven points to take the second set, with the lone Cougars point coming on an error.

Cinco Ranch led for most of the third match, but again seemed to struggle with execution in the game’s final 10 points. The Cougars held a 16-13 lead after a kill from junior Kayla Griebl, but Ridge Point scored the next four points to take the lead, on two kills each from Jeter and freshman Sydney Jordan—a 6-foot-3 outside hitter who seems primed to take the torch from her upperclasswomen. After its 16th point, Cinco Ranch’s lone kill came on a block from O’Brien.

While the season ended in disappointing fashion for a Cougars team that had legitimate aspirations of getting to the state tournament, Wells said she was proud of how the team performed this year.

Cinco Ranch, which won an undefeated District 19-6A championship this year, graduates 11 seniors, but Wells said she’s still enthusiastic about the future. Juniors Griebl, Hayley Bird, Eva Fitzgerald and Brooke Hirsch all played significant minutes this year, along with sophomore Catalina Martinez and freshman Courtney O’Brien, younger sister of Madalyn.

“They’ve all grown from their freshmen year to their senior year,” Wells said of her seniors. “They’ve just matured and become leaders, and they’ve also done a good job of keeping the team chemistry. They’ve done a lot for the group and they’ll be missed, but we also have some juniors on the team that are going to be great leaders too, sophomores and freshmen to add to the mix, and juniors and freshmen as well. We can build this back up. I trust that we can do that.”