‘123 miles to Garland’: West Rusk volleyball has state expectations in 2025

‘123 miles to Garland’: West Rusk volleyball has state expectations in 2025

Published 11:56 am Sunday, August 10, 2025

After going 21-14 and losing in five sets to Hughes Springs in the opening round of the 2023 volleyball playoffs, the West Rusk Lady Raiders took another step in 2024.

West Rusk went 29-12 and advanced to the third round of the volleyball playoffs for the first time. In that third round, West Rusk took Class 3A Division 2 state finalist Boyd to the limit, falling in five sets (25-23, 25-23, 18-25, 17-25, 13-15).

“Last year, we made history at West Rusk,” West Rusk head volleyball coach Melissa Abrams said. “We went to the third round, which has never been done before. And we actually lost in the fifth game by two points, so when the game was over, we were so mad and ready for next year’s team to start again because we want to win.

“That’s been our goal all summer is revenge. We want to play that same team again, and we want to have a better outcome this year. We want to make a new history, and the girls have been talking about going to state this year. We are 123 miles from Garland, so we are ready to go, and that’s going to be our motto the rest of the year.”

Abrams was junior by junior libero Paisley Smith, junior outside hitter/defensive specialist Mackenzie Ressler, junior outside hitter Irelind Hunt and junior defensive specialist Kenlee Reasoner at a fall sports media day at the CHRISTUS Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute on July 31 to talk about the upcoming season.

“Our expectation is to go all the way to state,” Smith said.

“I’m excited to all be together as a team and have fun and work hard and hopefully make history again, go all the way to Garland,” Ressler said. “We know how it feels, and now we’re excited and wanting redemption, to go further.”

“I think our expectations are really high just because of how far we went last year and even though we have a new team, we think we can go further and hopefully make it all the way to state.”

“I’m expecting to go all the way to state,” Reasoner said. “I think we’re all really excited to get our redemption and see what all we can do with a new team.”

West Rusk competes in District 16-3A with Arp, Gladewater, Sabine, Tatum, White Oak and Troup.

West Rusk will have an alumni game on Monday before hosting Henderson in the season opener on Tuesday.