Class 4A
West Plains continues historic ride
The West Plains Lady Wolves continue to break down ceilings in only their third year as a volleyball program.
West Plains once again made school history Tuesday night and did it with ease breezy by Stephenville, 25-17, 25-17, 25-18, in a Class 4A Division I regional semifinal Monday night in Colorado City.
“I am extremely proud of the way the girls played,” West Plains head coach Kaitlyn Cornelius said. “From the minute we stepped into the gym, they were focused and in the right mindset. We played selfless, aggressive volleyball and it was a team win from start to finish. Not only is it great to earn another gold ball, but Stephenville ended our season last year, so it made the win a little sweeter.”
West Plains picks up its 30th win on the year improving to 30-11 overall. The Lady Wolves are now advancing to the Region I-4A Division I final to face off with Decatur (29-13) at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Vernon High School.
Cecilia Murillo and Bella Wineberg made sure everything ran smoothly combining for 32 assists. Murillo led the team with 17 followed by Wineberg’s 15. Piper Patterson and Aaniyah Kitchen benefitted using their power to post 10 kills apiece.
Patterson and Kitchen were just as good on defense with Patterson totaling eight digs and Kitchen knocking down three blocks. Teammate Mya Bartlett led the back row with nine digs.
“West stuck to a game-plan,” Cornelius said. “We left everything on the court, and at this point in the season that’s all I can ask from this team. This was a fun win, but we have to get back in the gym and prepare for Decatur.”
Speaking of Decatur, the Lady Eagles – who are led by Fort Elliott graduate and former West Texas A&M Lady Buff Stormi (Lancaster) Snider – ended Hereford’s season on the other side of the Division I semifinal bracket getting a 25-20, 25-15, 25-7, sweep in Childress.
Lara Hornsby was too much for Hereford to handle posting a double-double with 14 digs and 10 kills. Setter Peyton Dickson had a game-high 20 assists and served extremely well with four aces.
London Baker led the Lady Whitefaces with five assists and four digs. Hereford ends a great year at 27-21 overall.
Canyon, Randall set for rubber match in regional final
It will be an all-Canyon ISD regional championship after both Canyon and Randall picked up Class 4A Division II regional semifinal victories on Monday and Tuesday night.
For the first time in four years, the Canyon Lady Eagles will play for a regional championship.
Canyon made that happen by getting its best win yet in the postseason knocking off a very good Eagle Mountain View squad, 26-24, 25-19, 26-24, during a Class 4A Division I semifinal Monday in Vernon.
“We played very well,” Canyon head coach Sarah Morath said. “We were steady and confident throughout the entire match. The team followed our game plan exactly how we practiced it.”
Canyon got a complete team effort with plenty of contributions starting with Laney Jones. Jones took matters into her own hands proving her worth in all three phases handing out 23 assists to with a team-high 13 kills and 15 digs for an impressive triple-double outing.
Landri Jay showed why she is a defensive specialist with 18 digs. Brooklyn Kinsey tallied nine kills at the net and Alainna Bellino finished with 23 digs.
“We played with so much grit,” Morath said. “We were truly playing for each other. I am so incredibly proud of the resilience we have shown as a team and individually. We call ourselves a blue-collar team and these girls are truly working hard day in and day out to earn everything.”
“We have come so far this season,” Randall head coach Karli Morrison said. “Through injuries district, and the playoffs, we’re still getting better. Everyone is doing their role the best they can and to the best of their ability.”
Senior setter Sidney Soria was on point the entire night running the offense handing out 46 assists. Brooke Henderson did her job on those assists with a team-high 14 kills and played stellar defense with 13 digs for a double-double, and teammate Havi Valdez was key in her role with 11 kills to go with four aces.
Canyon (27-13) will take on rival Randall (30-13) in the Region I-4A championship at a time and place to be determined. The two teams split during the district season both winning on their home floors.
Class 3A
Bushland breezes by Llano
Bushland is playing great volleyball at the right time as the Lady Falcons winning ways carry on getting a lopsided sweep of Llano, 25-13, 25-11, 25-9, in a Class 3A Division I regional semifinal in Big Spring on Tuesday night.
The defending UIL Class 3A state champions have now won an incredible 23 straight matches while pushing their playoff win streak to 10 dating back to last year. Bushland (42-4) is now set to battle Peaster (32-9) in the Region I-3A championship at 2 p.m. on Saturday in Colorado City.
“It’s exciting to be back in the regional final,” Bushland head coach Jason Culpepper said. “This team has put in the work and it shows. This win showed how good the offense can be and how everyone got involved. The serving against Llano really took them out of their game.”
Ambree Hatfield led the big serving night for Bushland with five aces and finished with seven kills. Lily Ann Shanon had a team-high 11 kills with Mackenzie Sims paving the way with 25 assists.
Ansley Tiffin registered 12 assists and Avery Ramos as usual was the defensive star tallying 18 digs.
Class 5A
Amarillo High, Tascosa fall in regional semifinals
The Amarillo High Lady Sandies and Tascosa Lady Rebels saw their seasons come to an end during the Class 5A Division I regional semifinals Tuesday night.
The Lady Sandies were swept by Aledo 25-22, 25-14, 25-20, in Snyder. AHS, the District 3-5A champions, end a tremendous year at 37-7 overall.
Playing in her final game as a Lady Sandie, All-State outside hitter, Sienna Cavalier, finished with 11 kills. Payton Cash and Bennet Rea totaled 27 assists and Ellen Head had 11 digs.
Tascosa suffered the same fate as Amarillo High, as Colleyville Heritage picked up a sweep of the Lady Rebels, 25-16, 25-14, 25-19, in Burkburnett.
The Lady Rebels see their season come to a close at 35-10.
Bennet Berryman led the team with 16 digs as Gabbie Mason finished with 10 digs and eight kills.
Class 2A
Vega rallies for epic win
Vega keeps rewriting the school record books by the week, however, this time did in epic fashion with a game the program nor the fanbase won’t soon forget.
After falling behind in the first two sets, the Lady Longhorns pulled the reverse sweep, rallying to a thrilling five-set win to get by Hico, 22-25, 23-25, 25-16, 25-23, 15-13, during a Class 2A Division II regional semifinal Tuesday night in Post.
Vega’s historic season continues as the Lady Longhorns move to 34-5 overall and will battle traditional power Windthorst (34-9) in the Region I-2A championship Friday in Childress with a time to be determined.
“I couldn’t be prouder of this team,” Vega head coach Berklee Norris said. “They displayed grit and determination in every aspect of this win. Their ability to come back from an 0-2 deficit and leave it all on the floor is admirable. We had to earn every single point and us coaches are just so proud of all of them.”
Setter Raelyn Calhoun was masterful running the offense making sure every pass was on point totaling 42 assists on the night. Senior standout Jaz Martinez took advantage of every pass making them count with an eye-popping 35 kills to go with a great defensive effort of 16 digs for a double-double.
DJ DeGraaf was also key on the back row with 17 digs and had a huge serving outing with five aces.
Class 1A
Wildorado and Fort Elliott punch tickets to Region I-1A Tournament
Fort Elliott is headed to the Region I-1A Tournament for the first time in eight years thanks to laying it on Loop during a Class 1A regional quarterfinal Tuesday in Dimmitt, 25-21, 25-22, 25-22.
With the victory, the Lady Cougars are headed to the Region I-1A Tournament for the first time since 2016.
Fort Elliott (19-7) will now battle Water Valley (33-6) in a regional semifinal at 7 p.m. Friday night at San Angelo Central High School.
Wildorado showed just how good District 1-1A was by also punching a ticket back to the Region I-1A Tournament.
The Lady Mustangs dropped the first set but then regrouped to down Klondike in four-sets, 20-25, 25-20, 25-20, 25-17, during a Class 1A regional quarterfinal match in Littlefield on Tuesday.
Wildorado (13-14) advance to the Region I-1A Tournament semifinals for a date with Bronte (29-11) at 5 p.m. Friday at San Angelo Central High School.
Senior leader Sonnell Van Wyk put a charge into the Lady Mustangs passing out 22 assists and knocking down 12 kills.