Volleyball Roundup: Regional Finals Set, Some Seasons Over

Nov 16, 2019

HOUSTON – One win. That is all that separates teams from booking a trip to Garland, Texas next week for the UIL Volleyball State Tournament.

Regional Semifinals were held on Friday across the state and Houston-area teams were amongst the field fighting for a spot in Saturday's Regional Finals matches.

Check out below how the H-Town teams did and who will be playing who for a spot at state.

Klein downs Prosper

Heading into Friday, it looked like Klein and Prosper were pretty evenly matched on paper. Both squads had stellar juniors who could drop the hammer on the ball.

The biggest difference between the two was the been-there-and-done-that factor. Prosper won the Class 5A State Championship in 2017. On the other side, Klein hadn't reached a Regional Final since 2002.

Klein, which came out of the brutally-tough District 15-6A, in the end had enough to down Prosper in a thrilling 3-2 victory to advance to its first Regional Final in 17 years.

With a win on Saturday, Klein will be heading to its first state tournament since 2002.

@KleinVolleyball is advancing to the regional finals tomorrow! So proud of these girls!! pic.twitter.com/sI5pWd2AID
— Renee Miller (@reneemiller04) November 16, 2019

Fulshear Charges On

Fulshear for a second-straight year will be playing for a spot at the UIL Volleyball State Tournament. The Chargers defeated La Vernia 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-13). Fulshear is still one of the newer programs around the volleyball world but its has taken Class 4A by storm so far.

Fulshear faces Caldwell on Saturday inside the Blossom Athletic Center with first serve set for 11 a.m.

All-Houston 5A Region III Final Set

The Manvel Mavericks have never played in a Regional Final – until now.

With a 3-1 victory over Cedar Park at Delmar Fieldhouse on Friday, Manvel punched its ticket to its first-ever Regional Final where it will face Friendswood.

The Mustangs defeated Leander Rouse in four sets on Friday to advance to their second-straight Regional Final. Last year, Friendswood fell short in the match to eventual Class 5A State Champion Kingwood Park.

If Friendswood wins Saturday's showdown it would punch its ticket to state for the first time since 2013. The Mustangs last made a state title match in 2007 and last won the whole thing in 1994.

REGIONAL SEMI FINAL CHAMPS!!! Beat Rouse in four to move on to the REGIONAL FINALS!! We play Manvel tomorrow at 1pm at Delmar for a trip to the state tournament! 💙🏐🐴 #nopointsoff #bethere pic.twitter.com/KJYARPBymA
— Friendswood VB (@FwoodVolleyball) November 16, 2019

The Woodlands falls short to Plano West

For a second-straight year, The Woodlands will not play in a Regional Final. The Highlanders once again made the trip up to Huntsville to face off against Plano West.

After a heart-breaking 35-33 loss in the first set, The Woodlands never recovered. The Wolves carried the momentum on to win the next two sets 25-22 and 25-21 to complete the 3-0 sweep.

The loss ends The Woodlands' year at 47-6 and puts an end to the phenomenal career of Dylan Maberry, who will now head off to LSU.

Our quest for the throne ended tonight. However, we took with us big victories and even better memories. Thank you to all of our fans who were along for the ride. ❤️🏐💚 pic.twitter.com/47xIgh9Pds
— TWHS Volleyball (@TWHSVolleyball) November 16, 2019

Splendora's Magical Season Ends

Splendora battled to the bitter end. The LadyCats pushed the state's 4^th-ranked team in Carthage to a pivotal fifth set. In the end, Splendora fell 17-15 in the final set to lose 3-2, ending its magical year.

Splendora finishes with the most wins in a season at 31 and made its first-ever Regional Semifinals appearance in program history.

Ridge Point, Cy-Fair set to Play

With a pair of sweeps on Friday the Fort Bend ISD vs Cy-Fair ISD regional final is set as Ridge Point and Cy-Fair are set to play at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

To read more on how they got there CLICK HERE

VYPE Austin Boys Soccer Scene: 2020 UIL, TAPPS & SPC Teams To Watch

Photo by VYPE Media's Bradley Collier.

The 2020 Texas high school boys soccer season is here, so you're probably wondering who the UIL, TAPPS and SPC teams to watch are in the Austin area. Check out today's VYPE coverage. To buy other team and individual photos from the 2020 VYPE Austin Preseason Soccer Photoshoot, click here.

We start in the state's highest classification because two area teams reached a UIL 6A regional quarterfinal in 2019. One of those was Pflugerville Hendrickson, who reached that round in Region II. The Hawks can replicate their run from a year ago because they have important talents on their 2020 roster, like Kaden Franco and Xjavier Martinez. 13-6A district foe Austin Vandegrift, a young and feisty squad, will prepare them for bigger tests.

The other regional quarterfinalist was Lake Travis, who accomplished the feat in Region IV. The Cavaliers will lean on senior Bentley Patterson to have success against rival Westlake and make another playoff appearance in 2020.

Photo by VYPE Media's Bradley Collier.

The UIL 5A classification saw five Austin area teams record at least a regional quarterfinal appearance in 2019, so a lot is expected from Central Texas programs in 2020. Cedar Park led the charge with its Region III semifinal finish and has quality players in Michael Ernand, Jacob Pell and Kameryn Roehrig to take a bigger step this spring. The Timberwolves' final win last season came against regional quarterfinalist Marble Falls, so watch for the Mustangs as well.

Photo by VYPE Media's Bradley Collier.

Pflugerville Connally adds to the depth of Region III because it's also coming off a regional quarterfinal finish. Big performances by Osbaldo Gaona and Jesus Luna can set up an even better Cougars' year in 2020.

Photo by VYPE Media's Bradley Collier.

Region IV features the Austin-area 25-5A district and the whole region of South Texas. Austin McCallum will lean on Reed Johnson and Blake Steckel in its battles with fellow 2019 regional quarterfinalist district-mate Dripping Springs to prepare for the playoff challenges beyond it.

Photo by VYPE Media's Bradley Collier.

UIL 4A saw Taylor lead the Austin area pack with its 2019 Region IV semifinal finish, but a pair of regional quarterfinalists from a year ago are also ready to strike in 2020. La Grange is the most dangerous because Hector Orona, Jose Lopez-Ocon, Diego Lopez and Luis Sanchez are back for the Leopards, but don't discount what Austin Eastside Memorial Early College brings to matches.

Photo by VYPE Media's Bradley Collier.

In the higher classifications of TAPPS, expect Nicholas Jacquin and Blake Usry to add to Regents School of Austin's legendary athletic resume.

Photo by VYPE Media's Bradley Collier.

In the league's smaller classifications, Austin San Juan Diego Catholic will make plenty of noise with key players Jayson Gorostieta, Juan Nicasio and Pedro Sanchez hitting the field.

Photo by VYPE Media's Bradley Collier.

In SPC, Austin St. Andrew's Episcopal School will be the area favorite and plans to continue its tournament appearance streak in 2020. Max Burbey, Fabio La Pietra and Jake Huggins will play important roles in the Highlanders' run at another postseason.

Photo by VYPE Media's Bradley Collier.

For more sports coverage, follow Thomas (@Texan8thGen) and VYPE (@VYPEATX) on Twitter.

Looking to get more involved? Check out ShopVYPE for fresh gear that supports local schools and the VYPE U Ambassador Program. To sign up for the VYPE U Program, apply at VYPEU.com.

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Denton Braswell Hoops Teams Sweep Past The Colony

Photo by Stephen Peters

LITTLE ELM - In a pair of battles featuring matchups of Top 10 teams in the area, Denton Braswell was able to hold court and sweep both visiting The Colony teams Friday night.

GIRLS RECAP

#1 Denton Braswell 58, #9 The Colony 43: Despite giving up 26 points to senior Jewel Spear, the 4-star Wake Forest commit, Braswell was able to shut down the rest of The Colony's lineup.

Braswell started the game well in the first quarter, building a 14-5 lead after one. But Braswell began to hit a lull offensively with missed shots and turnovers to allow The Colony to start chipping away at the lead.

Something that head coach Lisa Williams relied on her seniors to help pull them out of and regain control of the game.

"I rely on [those seniors] a lot, because they have the most experience," Williams said. "They have to step up and carry us through those moments, and they did that tonight."

Four of the six seniors on the team scored for Braswell, including 17 from Tiarah Sparks and 12 from Aminah Hall.

Braswell moves to 21-4 and 6-0 in 8-5A and will host Little Elm on Friday, January 24. The Colony falls 14-9 and 4-2 in district and play at Little Elm on Tuesday, January 21.

BOYS RECAP

Denton Braswell 50, #9 The Colony 43: Much like the preceding game, the boys tilt featured Braswell jumping on The Colony early only to suffer a similar lull offensively and surrender the lead going into halftime.

However, it was an unlikely hero for Braswell with huge shots that either tied or gave Braswell the lead in a couple instances in the second half thanks to Bradley Russell's five 3-pointers and a 17-point effort.

It was uplifting for the entire team, said head coach Nick Sekeres, to have a player who hadn't played in every game this year and to come in and hit almost all of his shots.

"The beauty of it, is it wasn't a surprise," Sekeres said. "[Russell's] been such a team guy for us, and it was such a tremendous moment for him."

The Colony closed the first half on a five-point run, ignited by a putback dunk by Myles Price. The Colony used that momentum to build an early lead in the third quarter, but that is where Braswell turned to Russell.

Sekeres said as he was hitting those shots, it was big for the rest of the team, "as if 10 guys hit each one." Russell's three-point stroke proved invaluable in a tight contest.

Keith Miller led The Colony with 13.

Braswell moves to 18-9 and 4-1 in 8-5A and will take on Little Elm at home on Friday, January 24. The Colony drops to 17-7 and 1-3 in district and will play at Little Elm on Tuesday, January 21.

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VYPE Austin Girls Soccer Scene: 2020 UIL, TAPPS & SPC Teams To Watch

Photo by VYPE Media's Bradley Collier.

The 2020 Texas high school girls soccer season is here, so you're probably wondering who the UIL, TAPPS and SPC teams to watch are in the Austin area. Check out today's VYPE coverage. To buy other team and individual photos from the 2020 VYPE Austin Preseason Soccer Photoshoot, click here.

We start in the state's highest classification because Lake Travis is coming off a run to the 2019 UIL 6A state semifinal. You'll hear from the Cavaliers again and they can make another trip to the state final four because key players like Hannah Alexander, Carly Van Essen, Bronwyn Bates and Kendall Fain are still on the roster. Their biggest Region IV challenge will be 2019 regional semifinalist and 25-6A district foe Westlake.

Photo by VYPE Media's Bradley Collier.

If the Cavs outmatch their rival and make a return trip to the season's final weekend, they could face Austin Vandegrift or Round Rock, two UIL 13-6A teams that advanced to a Region II semifinal in 2019.

Photo by VYPE Media's Bradley Collier.

In UIL 5A, keep an eye on Dripping Springs because the Tigers marched to the classification's state semifinal round in 2019. Emma Jones and Sofia Picucci are two of the players that will guide them through Region IV and help them contend for a better finish in 2020.

Photo by VYPE Media's Bradley Collier.

Dripping Springs will battle 2019 area round finalist Austin McCallum and 2019 bi-district finisher Lockhart in UIL 25-5A district play, but will also keep an eye on 2019 Region III finalist Pflugerville and state final four host Georgetown.

Photo by VYPE Media's Bradley Collier.

UIL 4A may be the state's smallest public school soccer classification, but that doesn't take away from the talent and excitement in it. Liberty Hill led the area charge with a trip to the classification final in the 2019 season and will be in the mix for a third straight state final four appearance in 2020, but Wimberley can also act as a road block for the Panthers this spring. The Texans are out for revenge after Liberty Hill defeated them 2-0 in the 2019 UIL 4A Region IV final and 2-0 in the 2018 UIL 4A Region IV area round. If they surround Casey Crawford and Holly Harwood with the necessary support, you could see a similar outing as their 2-0 win against Liberty Hill in the 2017 UIL 4A Region IV quarterfinal set up a run to the 2020 state final four.

Photo by VYPE Media's Bradley Collier.

But, don't forget about Manor New Tech. It's classified as a UIL 3A school for most activities, but overcame odds to record a UIL 4A Region IV bi-district finish in its inaugural varsity soccer season. Expect Bailey Tisdale and Victoria Moreno to keep the Titans in contention for their first playoff win in 2020.

Photo by VYPE Media's Bradley Collier.

In TAPPS, Regents School of Austin is a team to watch in the higher classifications because it is a power in a lot of sports. Ava Ingram and Kacie Flanakin are two of the players that will add to the Knights' athletic history in 2020.

Photo by VYPE Media's Bradley Collier.

In the league's smaller classifications, the return of Ariel Nevarez makes Austin San Juan Diego Catholic a can't miss team in 2020.

Photo by VYPE Media's Bradley Collier.

In SPC, the expectation is to get both Austin members to the end of the year championship tournament like the 2019 season. St. Andrew's Episcopal School has the necessary trio in Daniela Youngberg, Georgia Northway and Sidney Marsh to surpass last year's first round appearance, and St. Stephen's Episcopal School is coming off a quarterfinal finish.

Photo by VYPE Media's Bradley Collier.

For more sports coverage, follow Thomas (@Texan8thGen) and VYPE (@VYPEATX) on Twitter.

Looking to get more involved? Check out ShopVYPE for fresh gear that supports local schools and the VYPE U Ambassador Program. To sign up for the VYPE U Program, apply at VYPEU.com.

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Volleyball Roundup: Regional Finals Set, Some Seasons Over

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