Friday was quite the memorable day for volleyball and Waxahachie, as there were milestone celebrations on two courts roughly 20 miles apart.
And the first was just that — a first.
Erika Weber, a 2006 Waxahachie graduate and Lady Indians volleyball alumnus, picked up her first career victory as a head coach with a win against The Colony at Duncanville High School on Friday.
Weber is in her first season as the head volleyball coach at Midlothian Heritage High School, which is also her first year as a head coach.
The Jaguars went on to finish 2-1 on the day in the annual Duncanville Tournament of Champions and found themselves in the Gold Bracket on Saturday.
Weber is no stranger to success on the volleyball court, either.
Entering her 10th year as a high school coach, Weber previously served as a varsity assistant coach at Cuero High School and as an assistant for Sandy Faussett-Stoops and the Waxahachie Lady Indians.

The latter leads us to milestone No. 2.
Weber was first a member of the Lady Indians team that helped Faussett-Stoops to her 500th win in 2005.
“I remember where I was when she won 500,” Weber recalled, noting that the match was played at Justin Northwest. “But she is so selfless as a coach, so to win that, you are truly thinking, ‘if we win this, then we are winning this for her’ kind of thing. And it may sound silly, but it was a way to give back to all of her hard work.
“She never seemed to take the recognition for wins, and always took the blame when we lost, but when we won, it was all about us. So to be able to give that back to her and experience that with her was really exciting.”
Weber is currently one of two high school head volleyball coaches in Faussett-Stoops’ coaching tree, though there are several dozen varsity assistants, sub-varsity coaches. The other head coach is Jessica Lawrence Clark, who leads the Rockport Fulton program.
Clark was a senior when Faussett-Stoops joined the Waxahachie staff, which the latter explained led to “a little bit different type of relationship because you only get to work with them for about two months.”
Weber is the first “program-raised” head coach for Faussett-Stoops.
And, though Weber claimed to have not given it much thought before their season-opening match, it was easy to hear an elated tremor in her voice as she let the symmetry begin to set in.
“You know, I haven’t really thought about that, but it makes me kind of emotional because she was just such a huge role model for me and one of the biggest reasons that I became a head coach,” Weber said. “She is phenomenal. So many things that I use every day...and what I want to be in the future is her, so it’s exciting.”
She added, “I didn’t even think about that. I could cry. It is really cool.”
Her former head coach and mentor had a similar reaction.
“Oh, that’s so cool,” said Faussett-Stoops with a laugh on Friday when she too learned of the symmetry between her victory and Weber’s. “That is just so neat. I can’t wait to call her.”
“I remember when I was in her shoes and how thrilling it was [to win No. 1],” Faussett-Stoops added. “And I just love Erika, and I’ve always known that she would make a phenomenal coach. For her to be at this point in her career and knowing what she could be in the future...I better get a few more wins because she is going to catch me. She is just that type of person and coach. I am thrilled for her.”
It was just three short years ago that Faussett-Stoops, Weber and the Lady Indians defeated Liberty during the Lonestar Circle of Champions for the 700th win in the career of the head coach.
Three seasons of deep playoff runs and stellar district campaigns then led to Faussett-Stoops entering this season with 796 career victories to her name.
The Lady Indians began the 2019 season with a four-set loss to state-ranked Prosper on Tuesday, only to quickly rebound for three wins Thursday on the first day of the three-day Mansfield ISD Invitational. Waxahachie swept El Paso Eastwood, Tyler Lee and Mansfield Legacy on day one.
Any suspense with Faussett-Stoops sitting at 799 was quickly thwarted with a win against Waco Midway in the day-two opener.
“I really didn’t think I would hang around this long,” Faussett-Stoops said. “This is a really special group of kids, and they were all so nice and gracious and fought so hard that it just made it that much better and sweeter and more enjoyable. I got choked up because when I started working with them last year, I knew that this was going to be a good group, even though some anticipated us not to be as strong. And I get it. But these girls play with a lot of heart and a lot of emotion. I enjoyed today very much.”
Faussett-Stoops also noted that the Lady Indians players, booster club, coaches and fans “made me feel really good about what I do.”
“Without all of them, this wouldn’t have been such a fun ride,” she added.
To summarize, the Friday victory officially pushed Faussett-Stoops across the 800-win plateau in her 19th season leading the Lady Indians volleyball program and 30th year as a coach.
She’s led the Lady Indians to 11 regional quarterfinals appearances, as well as 14 area and 15 bi-district championships and 17 consecutive playoff berths.
Yet, a short drive away, a moment that passed with far less fanfare left the legendary head coach beaming with pride for a pupil that she always knew would someday follow in her footsteps.
That day just happens to be now. We can call it poetry in motion or beautiful symmetry, either one works.
There is little question, however, that Friday was as special a day for the Waxahachie Lady Indians volleyball program as there has ever been. One legend continued rewriting her history, while another was born. It was simply perfect.
Sports have a way of finding moments like Friday. And they always seem to favor the genuine participants like Erika and Sandy.
“I can’t stop smiling, because I am so proud of her,” Weber added.
