The Alba-Golden Lady Panthers enter the 2026 volleyball season with their sights set on a district championship and a deep run in the playoffs.
This year, head coach Jamie Webster wants her team to take the next step after building a track record of postseason appearances. The Lady Panthers have adopted “Break Through” as their motto as they work toward extending their season further into the playoffs.
“Our volleyball program has continued to have success each year, but we want to break through the first- or second-round playoff appearances and go even further,” Webster said.
The Lady Panthers have spent August preparing for that push with a busy preseason schedule.
Alba-Golden opened with a five-set win over Jefferson on Aug. 11 before heading into tournament play. At the Tyler ISD tournament, the Lady Panthers picked up wins over Cumberland Academy and Waskom while falling to Van, Texas High and Tyler.
Alba-Golden lost to North Hopkins on Aug. 18 before bouncing back with wins over New Diana and Midwest City two days later. The Lady Panthers then split a pair of three-set matches Aug. 22, falling to Hooks before defeating Union Grove.
They followed with a 3-1 road win over Mount Vernon on Aug. 25 before falling to Commerce two days later.
Those early matches have given Webster and the Lady Panthers opportunities to work on one of their biggest areas of emphasis this season. Webster wants her players to develop the mental toughness to respond when a match begins to turn against them.
“We can’t let things outside of our control dictate what we do next on the court. We tend to let things spiral, and this season we plan to end that. Control the chaos,” Webster said.
Webster said the Lady Panthers are also concentrating on effort, attitude and energy as they prepare for district play.
“Those are all things we can control. I truly believe that we will achieve our goals this season if we stay focused on those three things, “ Webster said.
Alba-Golden will face Como-Pickton, Union Grove, Big Sandy and Hawkins in district play.
After becoming a regular playoff contender, the Lady Panthers are looking to make this season about more than simply reaching the postseason.
“The girls have their eye on a district championship this season, along with a deep playoff run,” Webster said.
Taylor Swoopes also joins the program this season as the JV and assistant coach while Alba-Golden works toward making 2026 its “Break Through” season.