Denton and Grapevine clash for 3rd time in the UIL State Volleyball 5A-I final

The Grapevine Mustangs (16-5, 10-4) are gearing up to face the Denton Broncos (21-2, 13-1) in the UIL Class 5A State Championship Region I Final on Saturday, December 5th at 2 p.m. Fans should expect this match-up to extremely physical on both ends of the net as the two teams meet again in the state tournament. Last season, Grapevine defeated Denton 3-2 in the regional quarterfinal round of playoffs.

After losing in the regional semifinals last season, Grapevine is on a mission. The Mustangs have made a playoff appearance in 9 of the last 10 seasons (narrowly missing playoffs in the 2012-2013 season). With a 3-2 win over Amarillo, Grapevine will likely show early offensive strength as they try to push toward a state semifinal appearance. Senior Olivia Evarts will look to control the game, as she leads the Mustangs with 418 assists on the season.

Denton comes to the match with a bit of a vendetta against Grapevine after being sent home from playoffs by the Mustangs last season. The Broncos have made the playoffs for the last nine seasons and have showed no signs of slowing down. Denton is coming off of a huge 3-0 win over Randall, and will be ready to jump on Grapevine if they can. The Broncos are an experienced squad, with 14 upperclassmen on the roster. Don't expect the moment to be too big for Denton. They'll be ready.

Grapevine and Denton have already faced off twice this season. In October, the Broncos swept the Mustangs winning 3-0 while in November, the Broncos took the match 3-1. While Denton has won both regular season matches this season, it's the playoffs that matter. Grapevine has a history of knocking Denton out of the show...will history repeat itself? Or will Denton change the story? Today's game will have the answer.