photography by Eric Schlegel

Two years ago, Lake Travis hired Matt Green away from Stephenville to join the school's football coaching staff. Turns out now that Green, the offensive coordinator, brought enough good ideas with him to help the Cavaliers win two more Class 4A state titles since his arrival.

He also brought the force needed to reshape Lake Travis' volleyball program into a budding power, his energetic wife, Julie. This week, she will begin her third season with the Cavaliers, and just like the school's football team, her squad starts play atop the Class 4A preseason rankings.

"The biggest challenge was taking the incredible individual talent and making the team the most important thing," Julie Green said. "Once the girls bought into that and saw the success that followed, it became a point of pride."

Despite the loss of All-State middle blocker Morgan Hendrix, an Alabama signee, Lake Travis retains the talent to approach last season's 46-4 record and make another strong playoff push, Green said.

The Cavaliers also are driven by the memory of how their 2009 season ended — in shock, frustration and tears.

Lake Travis was riding a 31-match winning streak when everything crashed with an unexpected loss to Seguin in a regional championship game , one step shy of the state tournament.

"We're never going to look past anyone again," senior middle blocker Taylor Smith declared after a recent workout.

Nine months after the stinging defeat, Smith, junior outside hitter Amy Neal and junior libero Mackenzie Mayo admit they were dismissive of Seguin, which proved to be better than its 32-13 record indicated.

"When we think of Seguin, it just kills us," said Neal, who has committed to play for the University of Texas.

The 5-foot-10-inch Neal was named the District 25-4A MVP last season, when she finished with 538 kills, an average of more than four per game.

For her part, Mayo was a do-it-all player, contributing 52 aces and 577 digs, 4.65 a game.

This season, Lake Travis also will bank on returning senior setter Katy Beals, sophomore middle blocker Claire McCown, junior setter Cassie Wang and senior outside hitter Riley Livingston.

While Green credits her players for the team's recent good fortune, the Lady Cavs point to their coach as their inspirational leader.

"She brings the attitude that losing is unacceptable and that's why we need her," said Smith, who has committed to the University of Pennsylvania.

"You want to work hard for her," Mayo added. "You want to make her proud."

Green's influence stretches beyond the Lady Cavs' two daily practices that total five hours (including weight lifting). Players said the coach expresses herself with positive body language, the tone of her voice and her passion for perfection.

"If we win, that's not always good enough," Smith said. "Could we have won by more? Did we give 100 percent?"

During the team's hot streak last season, complacency was a minor issue. The coach was so frustrated by Neal's going-through-the-motions effort during one practice, she demanded her top player shag balls for the rest of the afternoon.

"I almost started to cry," Neal recalled. "Tears were close to falling, but I held them back."

On another occasion, Green stopped practice early and told everyone to go home. Instead of bolting to the exits, the players gathered inside the locker room for a private meeting to admonish themselves for their lackluster practice.

"Disappointing her is the worst feeling you can have," Smith said.

The Lady Cavs open the regular season Tuesday night in Seguin. If the players still harbor disappointment over last year's unexpected playoff elimination, a match against the team that beat them might be the perfect tonic to recover from it.

"That was a good call by coach to schedule this match," Smith said. "A good call."