The Woodlands falls short vs. Plano West in semifinals
HUNTSVILLE — The volleyball season was only a couple weeks old when Plano West and The Woodlands clashed in a battle of highly touted teams at the Allen Texas Open tournament in late August. Both have come a long way since that match, which The Woodlands won in three competitive sets.
Plano West turned the tables Friday evening at Johnson Coliseum, ousting The Woodlands in the Region II-6A semifinals for the second consecutive season. Plano West emerged with a 3-0 (35-33, 25-22, 25-21) victory and advanced to the regional final for the fourth time in the 20-year history of the school.
The Lady Wolves face Klein at 1 p.m. Saturday for the right to play at the UIL state tournament in Garland. Plano West was a state semifinalist last year, falling to eventual runner-up Ridge Point.
Klein had a five-set thriller against Prosper (25-16, 22-25, 27-29, 25-22, 16-14). It’s Klein first regional semifinal win since 2002, when the program also made a state semifinal appearance.
The Woodlands, meanwhile, saw its season come to a somber conclusion. The Lady Highlanders were ranked second in the state and made their eighth consecutive regional tournament appearance this season while claiming the outright District 15-6A crown for the second straight year.
Dylan Maberry, the program’s all-time kills leader and an LSU signee, finished her prep career with 21 against Plano West. Amanda Ifeanyi added nine kills and four blocks, and Clara Brower
finished with 35 assists and seven digs. Claire Arend had six kills and nine digs, Mayberry had 10 digs, and Allie Griffith collected eight digs.
“They’re an amazing team,” The Woodlands coach Terri Wade said. “I knew that this would be a tough match, but so would the next, and the next, and the next. I’ve seen the field of teams in the state, and it’s just hard to win that many games. It takes a lot to make it all the way. I’m definitely proud of them, and I know that they also played a good game tonight. They never gave up, and sure, we had errors here and there, but we still had some really amazing plays in there as well.”
Ridge Point, Cy-Fair to meet in III-6A final
A pair of sweeps were in order during the Region III-6A semifinals at Wheeler Fieldhouse.
Ridge Point defeated Dawson 25-17, 25-16, 25-14. Cy-Fair ousted Deer Park 25-21, 25-20, 25-22.
The two teams meet at 1 p.m. Saturday back at Wheeler Fieldhouse, and it’s a meeting of volleyball titans.
Ridge Point’s success has come in recent years considering the school’s age – it’s just 10 years old. Ridge Point won the region last year and finished as a state runner-up. Last year was the Panthers’ first regional title game appearance and now they’re on their second.
This is Cy-Fair’s first regional final since 2013. The program, which won a state title in 1986, is going for its first state tournament berth since 2007.
Another indication two heavyweights are about to collide: Ridge Point and Cy-Fair have combined to drop just two sets this entire postseason.
Manvel, Friendswood advance in III-5A
It’s an all-Houston final in Region III-5A.
Friendswood defeated Rouse in four sets (25-20, 21-25, 25-15, 25-20). The Mustangs dropped the second set but opened the third with a 15-6 lead before winning it by 10. They didn’t falter in the fourth set.
Manvel won its semifinal against Cedar Park in four games. Manvel previously had regional semifinal berths in 2016 and 2017, but Saturday will be its first regional championship game.
Friendswood was in the regional title game last year, where it lost to eventual state champion Kingwood Park.
Manvel and Friendswood meet at 1 p.m. Saturday at Delmar Fieldhouse.
Fulshear to play in IV-4A title game
Fulshear, in a year where it has knocked off two-time defending state champion and district foe Needville, is headed to the Region IV-4A championship game.
The Chargers swept La Vernia (25-15, 25-14, 25-13) and meet Caldwell at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Blossom Center in San Antonio.
Splendora saw its programbest season end with a 3-2 loss to state-ranked Carthage in the Region III-4A semifinals at Bryan High School on Friday night.