The UIL State volleyball tournament has already been off to a great. start. The next semifinals pairing winner will head to the state championship match and play against one of the most dominant volleyball teams in the state: Lucas Lovejoy. Before that, though, Grapevine and New Braunfels Canyon must play.
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Grapevine Mustangs (21-17, 9-5)
Grapevine has posted an incredible season so far. The Lady Mustangs have fought to stay in the running to be one of the top DFW volleyball teams all season and the work has more than paid off. Missouri signee Janet deMarrais has been a phenomenal source of energy on Grapevine's team while tallying 407 kills this season. deMarrais posted a season-high 31 kills in the first round of playoffs against Wichita Falls Rider. deMarrais is joined by teammates Alea Lastinger, Greyson Button, and Ava Shankle who have all played hard for the Mustangs this season.
Playing with a dominating offense and a commanding defense, fans should expect Grapevine to come into Friday's semifinal strong.
New Braunfels Canyon Cougars (43-8, 15-1)
The Cougars have shown that they are here on a very specific business trip this season- they want to take it all home and they are going to fight to continue to keep their hopes of a state title alive. The team lost a preseason match against Lovejoy earlier this year and wants nothing more than to make a full circle all the way back to the biggest state in Texas high school volleyball to shut down the Leopards once and for all, so fans can expect to see the Cougars use that as motivation to play hard against Grapevine.
Canyon is led by Kyla Malone who has posted 580 kills on the season. The offense has scored in moments that have been absolutely necessary all season in order to stay alive and fans can expect to see much of the same on Friday afternoon.
What to Expect:
Both teams are going to play hard until the final point is scored. Canyon may want to play in a revenge match against Lovejoy, but Grapevine has been on their mark all season. The Mustangs have everything it takes to make it to the state finale and the only thing standing in their way is Canyon.