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 (28th 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)