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After finishing as a Region III-6A finalist last season, Katy started its playoff run this year with a dominant sweep of Fort Bend Travis on Monday evening at the Merrell Center.
Hungry for more, Katy starts playoff run with sweep of Travis
KATY—This is the time of the year Katy High has been longing for ever since last year's run to the regional finals.
The Tigers were hungry all offseason, preseason, and regular season to get back to the playoffs. They had raised the program's bar last year by going the furthest the program had been since 1993. Eager to prove it was not an aberration, they went through the motions of the regular season, sometimes methodically and most times exceptionally, with a much bigger picture in mind.
"We are a completely different team this year, just because we have so many new people," senior libero Izzy Denton said. "It took a while for us to mesh and have that cohesiveness as a team, versus last year when we were together every single day, and maybe more motivation and drive because of COVID.
"This year, we had to go back to the basics and re-learn how to play with each other. Like any team, we've had our rocky moments, but we've gotten through those well and we're leaning on each other a lot more."
In its Region III Class 6A bi-district playoff Monday evening against Fort Bend Travis, Katy played like it. The Tigers swept Travis 25-12, 25-21, 25-16 to advance to the area playoffs against Cy-Creek later this week.
Katy improved to 28-16 overall with the win.
"It feels good," senior setter Maddie Waak said. "We lost some people last year, but we gained some new people as well. I think we can go just as far as we did last year."
The Tigers are loaded.
Katy has four NCAA Division I verbal commits for volleyball in Waak (LSU), Denton (Southeastern Louisiana), Chandler Lee (New Orleans) and Jordan Gamble (Northwestern State); five, if you include Kailey Wyckoff, who is going to Stephen F. Austin for softball.
Asked if there might be pressure to squeeze every ounce of potential out of such significant talent, Katy coach Karen Paxton agreed, adding it comes with a necessary balance.
"I think there's pressure with everything," Paxton said. "You have to find a balance in intensity. If it's too intense, the pressure can get to you, and if it's not intense enough, then we have to find ways to turn it on. Having the right personnel and right mindset is really key for our coaching staff right now. It's OK to take risks and make mistakes, but as far as the level being elevated, it's time."
The Tigers had a lot of good go their way against Travis. Some key takeaways:
>> Katy showed off its wealth of firepower. Gamble had 12 kills, two blocks and an ace. Lee had 11 kills. Waak and junior Maddy Chaapel had six kills each. Waak expertly executed the offense with 25 assists and had 13 digs and a block as well. "Whenever you have a group that sees success like we did last year, and we carry that over, the intensity level definitely picks up toward the end," Paxton said. "We have a lot of really strong leaders and getting everyone to buy-in at this point is huge for success."
>> Perhaps Katy's biggest star was Denton, who had seven aces along with her usual dominant play on the back row (18 digs). "I have a very consistent routine that's pretty much superstition at this point," Denton said of her serving. "I notice every time I mess up my routine, I end up missing my serve. That could be more of a mental thing than anything, though." Denton bounces the ball three times, spins it, and then tosses it up for a swing. "Izzy is a solid server for us and has come in and changed momentum in several matches for us this year," Paxton said. "Not only on defense does she keep us in rallies, but she turns things around with serving. She showed tonight what she's capable of."
>> The turning point of the game came in the second set. Trailing 18-12, Katy fought back behind three kills from Gamble to tie it at 18-all. That's when Chaapel flew toward a ball on Katy's side of the court headed out of bounds, saved it back into play by punching it back in with one arm, and stopped short of almost crashing into press row on the sideline. The Tigers eventually got the point on the rally for a 19-18 lead. They went on to win, 25-21. "I realized once I turned around and the ball wasn't on our side of the court anymore, I was like, 'Oh, shoot. We can still get this point,'" Chaapel said. "I just tried to do my part and got to the ball. I almost killed myself getting to it."
Waak said "everybody played their part." And that's what Katy will need, she said, if it wants to meet its great expectations.
"We all have to be in it together," Waak said. "If we're not in it together, we're not going to go far. The family aspect is what pushed us as far as we went last year. It's been good this year. We can get better, like anyone, but it'll only improve as the season keeps getting better for us."
Paxton is encouraged by what's she seen.
"We're really starting to put things together," she said. "I feel like we turned a corner going into the playoffs, and it's kind of like, OK, here we go."
THE WRAP: Katy, Fulshear, Klein advance to Volleyball Regional Championships
It was a busy night of volleyball playoff action.
Regional Semifinals for both Class 6A Region III and Class 5A Region III were going down in Houston, with a doubleheader over at Katy ISD's Merrell Center, while Class 6A Region II was being played elsewhere.
Katy defeated Clear Springs, Fulshear defeated Magnolia in a five-set thriller, Klein advanced to its second-straight Regional Final with a win over Sachse and The Woodlands and Friendswood saw their season's come to an end.
VYPE's Joshua Koch and Matt Malatesta spanned the city. Here is The Wrap!
Katy advances to Regional Final for first time since 1993, defeat Clear Springs 3-1
KATY - It has been 27 years.
When a team hasn't been to the Regional Finals in that long, things are bound to be said about the historic run.
"Like, 1993, that's crazy. People are like, 'that's when my dad graduated'," Katy junior Maddie Waak said. "I think that's really cool that we're making history for our school."
VYPE Postgame: @katyvball20 junior @MaddieWaak talks after the win for Katy. Pretty special night for the Katy community. #txhsvb @hannahelisabe @KeyPerris @KatyISDAthletic @katyisd @jordangambletx pic.twitter.com/FRTXNJkWVt
— vypehouston (@vypehouston) December 2, 2020
Waak and company are indeed making history.
The 2020 version of the Katy volleyball team is just the third in program history to reach the Regional Finals, after defeating Clear Springs – which was playing in only its second Regional Semifinal ever – on Tuesday 3-1 (13-25, 25-16, 25-22, 25-22) at the Merrell Center.
"They are very committed," Katy coach Karen Paxton said. "We asked for them to commit themselves back in January. They always work hard in the offseason but this summer they were there every day. Coming to skills stuff and every practice has been super productive since then."
BREAKING: @katyvball20 is heading to the Regional Finals for the first time since 1993!!! Katy defeats Clear Springs 3-1 (13-25, 25-16, 25-22, 25-22) #txhsvb
It's an all @KatyISDAthletic Region III-6A Championship! @MaddieWaak @jordangambletx @hannahelisabe @KPRC2RandyMc pic.twitter.com/7YoFbwt4Ut
— vypehouston (@vypehouston) December 2, 2020
Katy had to battle back multiple times in the match to fend off a tough Clear Springs team, which finishes the year 17-8 overall.
The Tigers' roster is filled with experience, including a group of seven seniors, which have put it all on the line to reach this point.
"It took a lot of blood, from just falling and it took a lot of tears," Key said with a chuckle. "And knowing our game and playing our game."
Below the seniors is a group of juniors that have also bought in.
This team bought into the idea of "playing in December", Waak said and for Jordan Gamble the belief that they could make this kind of run came from the coaches at the very beginning of the playoffs.
VYPE Postgame: Caught up with @KeyPerris who has helped @katyvball20 get back to the Regional Final for the first time since 1993 #txhsvb pic.twitter.com/ZziiRaRluV
— vypehouston (@vypehouston) December 2, 2020
Now, to get the program to its first State Tournament appearance since 1968 – they have to go through fellow Katy ISD power Seven Lakes.
"This is very exciting," Gamble said. "We know their tendencies and they know our tendencies. I feel like that makes it that much more of a battle."
Paxton added: "We couldn't have picked a better venue or matchup. I think it just speaks volumes to how competitive our district is and you've got to play your best when you're playing Katy ISD volleyball."
Katy will face Seven Lakes on Friday at 5 p.m. inside the Merrell Center with a spot in the 2020 UIL State Volleyball Tournament on the line.
VYPE Postgame: @jordangambletx stopped to talk with VYPE after helping send @katyvball20 to the Regional Finals for the first time in 27 years. #txhsvb @KatyISDAthletic @hannahelisabe @KeyPerris @KPRC2RandyMc @KPRC2Vanessa @katyisd @MaddieWaak pic.twitter.com/gtjAQmfLCT
— vypehouston (@vypehouston) December 2, 2020
Fulshear defeats Magnolia in five-set thriller
The Fulshear Chargers won state in Class 4A last season. What would happen as Chargers would move up a classification?
Entering the Class 5A Region III Regional Semis, their only losses were to Concordia Lutheran, The Woodlands, Katy and Seven Lakes. Outside of state-ranked Concordia Lutheran at the private school level, Fulshear's only other losses came to Class 6A teams who reached the Regional Semis.
On paper, this looked like a blowout. Four Division 1 stars for Fulshear -- but it isn't always the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of fight in the dog.
Magnolia fought… and fought… and fought..
But eventually Fulshear would take down Magnolia to advance to the Regional Finals against College Station, which defeated Friendswood 3-2 on Tuesday and now are one step away from the Class 5A state tourney.
THE POST 🏐
Fulshear coach Sydney Gotcher Talks about INSTANT CLASSIC
5-Set Win Over Magnolia to advance to Regional Finals @FULSHEARVB @lcisdathletics @AvaUnderwood16 @ellieechterr pic.twitter.com/v99sX2C1TV
— vypehouston (@vypehouston) December 2, 2020
Magnolia took some haymakers by the defending state champs in Game 1, but won 25-21.
The wake-up call came loud and clear as Fulshear ran off two-straight games. 25-10 and 25-13.
Who flipped the switch?
In the Game 2, Fulshear got it going and Ava Underwood provided some juice. After the 5-foot-5 setter blocked a kill by Magnolia's Sydney Gentry, the Texas A&M-commit reminded Magnolia who were the defending state champs… with a little too much juice. She received a yellow card, but it ignited the Chargers win in Game 2.
Magnolia couldn't match the power of LSU-commit Ellie Echter, Baylor-commit Alexis Dacosta and Purdue-commit Brielle Warren in Game 3, but…
The Bulldogs rebounded in Game 4 with a ton of heart and defense. Faith Lynch did a tremendous job setting up Brynn Botkins, Ellie Anderson, Sydney Gentry and Marissa Moffatt. Kaylyn Fojt had some huge digs as well.
In Game 5, it was fitting for senior leader Echter to put down the final point for Fulshear to with 15-13.
THE POST 🏐
Magnolia's Faith Lynch and her @MagnoliaVBALL laid it all on the floor in 5-set heartbreaker @flinch_2021 @MagnoliaISD pic.twitter.com/NImfvBeAGY
— vypehouston (@vypehouston) December 2, 2020
Friendswood falls short to College Station, 3-2
Friendswood fought to the very end.
The Mustangs entered Tuesday seeking a third-straight trip to the Regional Finals and potentially a second-straight bid to the state tournament. But a "scrappy" College Station team stood in the way.
In a five-set thriller, Friendswood saw its season come to an end in a 3-2 (25-16, 25-27, 20-25, 27-25, 10-15) loss, putting their final mark on the year at 23-4 overall.
"College Station is a super scrappy team," Friendswood coach Sarah Paulk said. "They made no mistakes. If we weren't putting the ball down with first-ball kills, they were going to fight, scrap and get the points. They just didn't stop. They fought hard."
VYPE Postgame: Caught up with @FwoodVolleyball coach Sarah Paulk after a 3-2 loss. She talked the match and about the seniors and the program they have built. #txhsvb @ashhhbashhh05 @sarahjsitton @Alemeoni_6 @FriendswoodBC @friendswoodisd pic.twitter.com/6vZ60OgkA0
— vypehouston (@vypehouston) December 2, 2020
College Station moves on to the Regional Finals for the first time since 2013 and will face defending Class 4A State Champion Fulshear, which beat Magnolia 3-2 on Tuesday.
For Friendswood, it's a senior class that leaves after an ultra-successful run headed by Ashlyn Svoboda, who registered 1,000th career kill, finishing with 16 in her final match and also had 25 digs.
"Ashlyn has done so much for our program. She is a great volleyball player and leader," Paulk said about the Nichols State signee. "She does the things that are hard. She holds her teammates accountable and she does it all. She will never be replaced."
Alessandra Meoni, who moved from Italy two years ago, finished her final match with the Mustangs with a team-leading 27 kills and 14 digs. Sarah Sitton finished with 11 kills, Kate Bueche had 19 digs and six kills, Cierra Pesak had 33 digs to lead the team. Megan Hubbard finished with 46 assists in the five-setter.
As Paulk looks towards the future there are some key returners that will be back in 2021 including Hubbard, Sitton and Bueche.
"The expectation is to be here and to make it this far," Paulk said about the culture at Friendswood. "So, when you are able to set those standards it's a great thing."
Class 6A Region II WrapEntering the day, Klein and The Woodlands were the last two programs from Houston standing in Region II. The Highlanders faced off against Wylie, while Klein took on Sachse.
The Woodlands, in its 9th-straight Regional Semifinals appearance, saw its season come to an end with a 3-0 (17-25, 20-25, 17-25) loss to Wylie. The Woodlands finishes the year with an overall record of 23-4.
Klein battled Sachse in an eventual four-set thriller. After losing the first set 27-25, the Bearkats came back to win the next three in a row to take the match 3-1. This is the second-straight year for Klein to advance to the Region II-6A Final.
Klein will face Wylie with a spot in the UIL State Volleyball Tournament on the line later this week.
Class 6A Region II Score Alert 🚨 @KleinVolleyball advances to its second-straight Regional Final with 3-1 win over Sachse. Will face Wylie later this week. #txhsvb @DevanTaylor16 @MansfieldGaby @annieantar @CamyKling @kierstyn_mcfall @KleinISD pic.twitter.com/KrvUg4o9fk
— vypehouston (@vypehouston) December 2, 2020