Maybe she really was born with it.

It’s not Maybelline. It’s not the shoes. And it’s definitely not the shorts.

For Chiney Ogwumike, natural athleticism coupled with a burning passion to excel – in any endeavor – is what helped the lone returner for Cy-Fair's volleyball team keep the Bobcats in contention Tuesday night, then muster a come-from-behind victory to defeat visiting Cinco Ranch 18-25, 17-25, 25-24, 25-10, 15-11.

Ogwumike had 31 kills and five blocks in a match that favored Cinco Ranch considerably in the first two sets.

“We have a saying around here that ‘Bobcat Fight Never Dies’ and we just came together to win,” Ogwumike said. “I give my whole team the credit. We fought hard.”

But it was definitely Ogwumike who set the tone for the Bobcats (6-3) getting back-to-back kills in the third set to tie the game at 20. Twice when Cinco Ranch (11-5) had six-point leads, Ogwumike scored a point on either a block or a kill.

“I got some awesome sets from Kameryn (Hayes),” Ogwumike said. “I wanted some great kills to go with the great set assists.”

Hayes had 40 set assists. Patty Bradshaw led the team with 17 digs.

Cinco Ranch's Lindsay Miller had a team-high 14 kills.

“I think we came out not ready, because we had beaten them in three (straight sets) in our first match with them,” Hayes said. “So I don’t think we were up for it. That third game we began to really work together.”

Cy-Fair coach Donna Benotti agreed that the turning point was during the third set when she tweaked the lineup.

“We made some adjustments and just put the players in optimal positions to be successful,” Benotti said. “I am very happy we won (Tuesday) night. The girls really fought hard. We came together. For a young team, we did well. The younger, newer players got a good victory.”

Ogwumike added: “Some people don’t talk about us or think much of us this year. But we want to show them we are still a strong team in this region.”

If she believes it, it most likely will be true.  

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