A season full of effort – by both coaches and student-athletes. A season full of travel – by teams, families and fans. This past weekend, a lot of tears – both of joy and of sorrow.

All of it leading up to this week.

Welcome to State Tournament Week for UIL volleyball.

To use a basketball term, it's Final Four time for 24 teams in the six UIL classifications – from small-town 1A up to the big-school Class 6A.

Here's some information and thoughts about this year's tournament and the results of each Regional Finals match, with some personal notes about Regionals Semifinals to follow:

Back (to defend their title)

Neches Lady Tigers (Class 1A)

Back (to add to their State Championship Trophy Case)

Round Top-Carmine (1A, 6 previous total Titles); Neches (1A, 1 Title); Water Valley (1A, 1 Title); Jewett Leon (2A, 10 Titles); Wink (2A, 2 Titles); Bushland (3A, 4 Titles); Hereford (4A, 5 Titles); Lovejoy (5A, 6 Titles); Friendswood (5A, 1 Title); Canyon Randall (5A, 1 Title);

Back Again (most appearances at State Tournament, including this year)

Jewett Leon (28^th overall appearance, most of any program in UIL history)

Round Top-Carmine (21)

Wink (13)

Friendswood (9)

Hereford (9)

Lovejoy (9)

Dancing for the First Time at the State Tournament:

Fulshear (4A); Kennedale (4A); Alamo Heights (5A); Byron Nelson (6A); Schertz Clemens (6A)

How they got to State: The Regional Finals

6A volleyball regional finals:

REGION I: Byron Nelson d. Denton Guyer, 25-17, 25-17, 25-16

REGION II: Plano West d. Klein, 26-24, 25-15, 21-25, 25-18

REGION III: Ridge Point d. Cy-Fair, 25-17, 25-13, 25-19

REGION IV: Schertz Clemens d. SA Clark, 25-16, 25-22, 25-15

5A volleyball regional finals:

REGION I: Canyon Randall d. Amarillo, 25-16, 25-12, 25-16

REGION II: Lovejoy d. Highland Park, 25-20, 25-14, 25-17

REGION III: Friendswood d. Manvel, 25-22, 25-23, 19-25, 26-24

REGION IV: SA Alamo Heights d. Dripping Springs, 25-12, 25-22, 25-21

4A volleyball regional finals:

REGION I: Hereford d. Krum, 25-19, 25-21, 25-16

REGION II: Kennedale d. Celina, 25-21, 21-25, 25-23, 27-25

REGION III: Carthage d. Midlothian Heritage, 25-21, 25-19, 25-23

REGION IV: Fulshear d. Caldwell, 25-19, 25-17, 25-18

3A volleyball regional finals:

REGION I: Bushland d. Boyd 25-22, 26-24, 25-15

REGION II: Van Alstyne d. Gunter

REGION III: West Lexington

REGION IV: Industrial d. Goliad 22-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-13

2A volleyball regional finals:

REGION I: Wink d. Miles 25-20, 25-18, 25-17

REGION II: Crawford d. Lindsay 25-22, 25-13, 25-17

REGION III: Jewett Leon d. Iola 25-14, 18-25, 25-20, 21-25, 18-16

REGION IV: Burton d. Thrall, 25-22, 25-15, 15-25, 25-19

1A volleyball regional finals:

REGION I: Water Valley d. Bronte, 25-19, 25-11, 23-25, 19-25, 18-16

REGION II: Blum d. Abbott 25-16, 25-16, 26-24

REGION III: Neches d. Miller Grove 25-9, 25-20, 25-19

REGION IV: Round Top-Carmine d. Fayetteville

Region Semifinals

Flat-Out Upset:

No. 1 upset was Klein defeating Prosper (3-2)

No. 2 upset was Alamo Heights beating CC Flour Bluff (3-0)

Shocking:

*Plano West sweeping The Woodlands

*Ridge Point sweeping Dawson

*Hereford sweeping Argyle (4A)

*Friendswood defeating Rouse

*Gunter sweeping Tatum (3A)

*Iola sweeping Beckville (2A)