Celina's volleyball program steps onto the Class 5A court this fall carrying three state tournament appearances in four years and five consecutive trips to the regional finals.

The Lady Bobcats' jump from 4A to 5A follows the UIL's biennial realignment, which also pushed Frisco Panther Creek, Prosper Walnut Grove and Prosper Richland up a classification for the 2026-27 school year. For Celina, the move lands the program in District 9-5A alongside Lovejoy, McKinney North, Anna, Denison and Greenville.

That district includes serious competition. Lovejoy sits at No. 9 in the 2026 Texas Girls Coaches Association preseason 5A poll, released July 8. Dallas Highland Park and Prosper Eagle Mountain share the top spot.

Junior McKynna Stephens, who led the Lady Bobcats in kills last season, returns as a centerpiece of a roster the Celina Record described as carrying "a wealth of experience back on the court." The team does not anticipate losing a step despite the classification change, reporter Matt Welch wrote Aug. 4.

Head coach Cori Cate, who also teaches business and marketing courses at Celina High School, has built the program around more than match results. She runs character-building book studies for players and coordinates scheduling across the coaching staff. In a Feb. 25 profile in the Bobcat Journal, Cate described how her roles reinforce each other: "Everything is intertwined. Teaching and coaching make me a better mom as I interact with kids, and being a mom makes me a better teacher and coach."

Celina's broader athletic program finished fifth in the UIL 4A Lone Star Cup standings for 2025-26 with 82 points, a measure of all-sports excellence the school now carries into a larger classification.

For families wanting to follow the Lady Bobcats' 5A debut, Celina ISD season tickets for home athletic events are available at ath.celinaisd.com. Specific preseason tournament dates and the first district match have not yet been published.