Area-round wins move Westlake, Dripping Springs into regional volleyball playoffs rematch

A record 15 Central Texas teams became area volleyball playoff champions after each of them won their first two matches last week, advancing to Tuesday's regional quarterfinals.

Leading the way is Lake Travis, which crushed Schertz Clemens 25-17, 25-18, 25-16. The Cavaliers (43-5), who are No. 2 in the state, have won 19 of their last 20 matches and used a balanced attack to dispatch the Buffaloes. Layla Todd led the Cavs with 13 kills and 10 digs while Avery Hamlin added 10 kills and five aces. Carrington Jaimes had six kills and Kat Shelton added a pair of blocks, and Kacey Kazmierski had another outstanding match with 43 assists, three aces and 10 digs.

Around Class 6A

Maroons fall in area: Lake Travis' next opponent, San Antonio Reagan, outlasted Austin High 25-20, 25-22, 14-25, 25-12 as Mya Allen led the Rattlers with 17 kills while Riley Molloy and Harper Luthy played well for the Maroons, who claimed their first bi-district championship in four years by beating Round Rock last Tuesday.

Westlake, Dripping Springs to square off: Westlake and defending state champion Dripping Springs play at Burger Center on Tuesday following the Chaparrals' 21-25, 25-16, 25-14, 22-15, 15-9 marathon over San Antonio Brandeis. Lily Davis, who hit .299 with only eight errors on 67 swings, finished with 28 kills and added 23 digs. Libero Reese Emerick served five aces and had 24 digs, and freshman setter Emerson Butler had 53 assists.

“I’m so proud of this group of athletes,” said Westlake coach Miguel Saenz. “They show tons of grit and determination. Losing the first set lit a fire under these girls, and we played some of our best volleyball of the season in sets two and three. ... We are healthy, the girls are playing for each other, and we’re peaking at the right time.”

Dripping Springs crushed San Antonio Madison 25-16, 25-16, 25-15 behind Henley Anderson's 16 kills, seven digs and two blocks. She hit .340. And Sydney Lund had 12 assists, nine digs, five kills and an ace.

Around Class 5A

Georgetown falls to Montgomery: Georgetown lost 13-25, 23-25, 25-22, 25-17, 18-16 despite 13 kills each by Molly O’Shaughnessy and Said McCauley. Montgomery freshman Delaney Wright pounded 27 kills to send the Eagles into the third round. ... Hendrickson got 16 kills by Kara Wynn, 13 from Kamea Uitenham and six by Mia McCurley as the Hawks swept Lake Creek 25-19, 25-20, 25-21.

Rematch time for Liberty Hill: The Panthers set up their rematch with New Braunfels Canyon by sweeping Harlandale 25-15, 25-16, 25-13 as Kealy Dirner had 12 kills while Carson Glenn had 21 assists and Annie Witt added 13 digs. Canyon sept San Antonio MacArthur 25-15, 25-19, 25-12 behind Megan Hawkins' 12 kills and Marlee Lightsey's 11.

A district showdown: District 25-5A rivals Rouse and Cedar Park both won and earned the right to play each other Tuesday night at Vista Ridge. Rouse beat San Antonio Southwest 25-16, 25-17, 25-14 as Jadyn Wilgus pounded 14 kills while Jade Key added 13, Savannah Skopal had 40 assists (giving the Rice signee 1,344 for the season and 5,442 in her career). ... Cedar Park beat district champion Alamo Heights 27-29, 25-15, 25-21, 23-25, 15-10 to earn their third match of the season against Rouse. Rouse has won six of seven sets in their two previous matches.

Around Class 4A

Wimberley, Burnet advance: Wimberley eliminated El Campo 25-18, 25-19, 25-8 as Laney Hennessee had 12 kills while Jesse Weeks had 18 assists and Rhagen Masur notched 13 digs. Addison Parks had four blocks and Addie Laney three aces for the Texans. ... Burnet advanced with a pair of wins as the Bulldogs beat Waco Robinson and Caldwell. The two-match stat totals saw Zaria Solis collect 23 kills.

Around Class 3A/others

Blanco, Johnson City move on: Blanco will face Clyde after the Panthers beat traditional power Brock 25-23, 25-20, 20-25, 13-25, 15-13 while Johnson City in advanced in Class 2A when the Eagles face Three Rivers after sweeping Agua Dulce in decisive fashion 25-8, 25-21, 25-8.

Thrall to face Weimar: Multi-time state qualifier Thrall advanced to the regional quarterfinals against Weimar by beating Shiner in four sets. Melaina Grissom slammed 18 kills with 24 digs while Brynn Leschber added 13 kills and a block. Karly Pesantes had 14 digs and Dezi Lopez added 10 digs while Kinley Hoffman chipped in nine.

TAPPS playoffs: Deending state champion Round Rock Christian lost to top-seeded San Antonio Keystone 25-12, 25-7, 25-22 despite 15 kills by Chayse Wilson. And St. Michael’s lost in bi-district to Midland Christian while Brentwood Christian advanced by beating Legacy Prep Christian 25-12, 14-25, 25-21, 23-25, 15-13.

Player of the week

Morgan Warren, senior, Hendrickson: Warren led the Hawks to the area championship as the senior setter dished out 37 assists, notched six digs and served three aces to lead Hendrickson past Ann Richards 25-14, 25-12, 25-10 in bi-district. She had another 35 assists with 12 digs and four kills as the Hawks won their area-round match by beating Montgomery Lake Creek 25-19, 25-20, 25-21.

Previous players of the week: Henley Anderson, Dripping Springs; Kealy Dirner, Liberty Hill; Sara Randall, Weiss; Chayse Wilson, Round Rock Christian; Riley Clinton, Round Rock; Alex Beauchamp, Vandegrift; Savannah Skopal, Rouse; Avery Hamlin, Lake Travis; Mora Mooney, St. Michael’s Academy; Jasmin Dion, Vista Ridge; Kylee Bagley, Stony Point; Lily Davis, Westlake.

Team of the week:

Rouse: Coach Jacob Thompson led the Raiders to an impressive eighth straight district title (shared with Liberty Hill this season), guided the Raiders past Canyon Pieper 25-17, 25-20, 28-26 to in bi-district play, then dominated highly regarded San Antonio Southwest 25-16, 25-17, 25-14 to earn a regional quarterfinal berth against district rival Cedar Park.

Previous teams of the week: Austin High, Lake Travis, Stony Point, St. Michael’s Academy, McCallum, Dripping Springs, Lake Travis, Bowie, Westwood, Westlake, Taylor, Georgetown.

State polls

Lake Travis moved up to second in the Texas Girls Coaches Association Class 6A weekly poll while eight other Central Texas schools made the Top 10, including defending Class 6A state champion Dripping Springs at No. 7.In a high-stakes match of highly ranked Class 5A teams, No. 7 Liberty Hill will play No. 8 New Braunfels Canyon rematch of the 2022 regional quarterfinal won by Liberty Hill.In Class 4A, No. 8 Wimberley faces No. 4 Bellville, while in Class 2A Thrall is No. 9 this week.Rouse (Class 5A), Blanco (Class 3A) and Salado (Class 4A) are all ranked 10th in their respective classifications.Honorable mention teams this week are Hendrickson, Burnet, Cedar Park, Johnson City and Gateway College Prep.

Fab Fives

Class 6A

1. Lake Travis 43-5

2. Westlake 36-11

3. Dripping Springs 46-6

4. Weiss 28-9

5. Austin 29-14

Class 5A

1. Liberty Hill 42-8

2. Rouse 38-13

3. Hendrickson 33-7

4. Cedar Park 30-15

5. Georgetown 33-16

Class 4A and others

1. Thrall 28-7

2. Wimberley 34-7

3. Gateway College Prep 25-12

4. Johnson City

5. Blanco 32-8

Tuesday's playoff matches

Hendrickson vs. College Station, 6 p.m. (Giddings)

Blanco vs. Clyde, 6:30 p.m. (Sonora)

Burnet vs. China Spring, 6:30 p.m., (Lake Belton)

Lake Travis vs. San Antonio Reagan, 6:30 p.m. (Johnson)

Rouse vs. Cedar Park, 6:30 p.m., (Vista Ridge)

Westlake vs. Dripping Springs, 6:30 p.m., (Burger Center)

Wimberly vs. Bellville, 6:30 p.m. (Yoakum)

Johnson City vs. Three Rivers, 7 p.m. (Lytle)

Liberty Hill vs. New Braunfels Canyon, 7 p.m. (Bowie)

Salado vs Gateway College Prep, 7 p.m. (Mary Hardin Baylor)

Thrall vs. Weimar, 7 p.m. (Rockdale)

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Lake Travis, Westlake and Dripping Springs volleyball moves on in 6A