Oil. Steak. Football. Field Hockey? Texas is not known around the country for its top-notch field hockey, but in certain pockets, the Lone Star State has produced some of the game's elite players.
Virginia sports two of these players, senior Katie Phillips and junior Erin Hayes. The two attended Trinity Valley School in Fort Worth, Texas.
But finding other upper-level field hockey high schools is no easy task.
"It's a private school sport," Hayes said. "There are only 12 teams [in Texas], maybe less. We have to travel down to Houston -- which is five hours ---for the weekend and play all the teams down there. And we'd have to travel up to Oklahoma too."
The long road trips proved worthwhile, as TVS won the Southern Preparatory Conference Championship three consecutive years, from 2000-2002.
Phillips was the team MVP each of her final three seasons at TVS and set school records in goals, assists and points. Hayes captained the 2002 championship team and was named the Dallas Morning News's Player of the Year.
In 2002, Phillips was elected to the TVS Athletic Hall of Fame, and Hayes joined her in 2004.
Despite these accomplishments, gaining exposure from major college programs was a difficult endeavor.
"You go play tournaments in the summer and hope that somebody notices you because they're never going to come to your high school games," Phillips said.
Hayes credited the team's coach with helping the two make their skills and desire to play field hockey in the ACC known to the right people.
After attending countless camps and writing letters to several coaches, Phillips found herself at Virginia, with Hayes following a year later.
"I was looking around the ACC -- I came up here and [Phillips] showed me around the school and I really liked it," Hayes said. "Virginia's sort of a dream school -- to be able to play athletics and go to the school of your choice."
In the past eight years, TVS has sent four others aside from Phillips and Hayes to Division I field hockey programs. Abby Crawford, who played for the Cavaliers in 1999, is also a TVS graduate.
The two current TVS alumnae at Virginia also have benefited from hailing from the same hometown.
"It's fun to be on the same team," Hayes said. "It's fun to have someone you know. When we do go home, it's someone to work out with or someone to keep track of."
Phillips is tied for 10th all-time in the Virginia record books with 35 career goals. Hayes anchors the defensive backfield for the Cavaliers and has started every game in the past two seasons.
The two will lead the Cavaliers Saturday against the University of Pennsylvania Quakers. Penn is 5-5 overall.
Recently, the Quakers fell, 3-1, to No. 2 Maryland but came back with a 3-2 win over then-No. 16 Villanova.
"It's going to be a tough game, and it's a big one for us," Virginia coach Jess Wilk said. "I'm glad it's at home, but they're a tough team, and we're going to have two good days of preparation prior to [playing Penn]."
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