Big District Match-Ups to Catch This Week

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>District play is all about big rivalries and 5-set upsets. There is a lot of high-stakes volleyball going on and we are here for it. As we head deeper into district play, let us take a look at some big district match-ups that would be a really big win for either team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Westlake vs. Dripping Springs</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>First up is a Tuesday night game where Weslake will host Dripping Springs at home. This will be the first time these two meet this year. Westlake is currently 5-0 and Dripping Springs is currently 4-0. This is a big game for both teams, but even bigger for Dripping Springs as it's their first year in this 6A district. This would be a huge win for Dripping Springs. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='87537' first='Mackenzie' last='Plante']</strong> currently leads Dripping Springs with 313 kills on the season. The Tennessee commit is having a great senior season playing with a lot of intensity and responsibility on her shoulders. She will be swinging against district dig leader <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='124160' first='Reese' last='Emerick']</strong> who has 409 digs so far this season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='176636' first='Natalie' last='Arnold']</strong>, Dripping Spring's middle hitter, is leading all district hitters with a .408 hitting percentage. Westlake's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='179919' first='Lily' last='Dee Davis']</strong> is leading all district scorers with 329 kills. This should be a good matchup between the blocking of Dripping Springs and the ball control and offense of Weslake. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Keller vs. V.R. Eaton</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Keller and V.R. Eaton are currently both 1-0 in district, and just getting started. They matched up earlier in the pre-season where Keller won in a 3-set nail-biter. V.R. Eaton has a heck of an outside hitter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='87536' first='Emily' last='Simmons']</strong>, who has accumulated 300 kills over 75 sets. Keller's senior libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='176656' first='Kea' last='Whillock']</strong> will have to defend V. R. Eatons slew of hitters, which should not be a problem for her since she has almost 2000 career digs. Keller's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='87577' first='Taylor' last='Polivka']</strong> could hit her mile stone of 3,000 assists this week, making her one of MaxPreps assist leaders in 6A. If V. R. Eaton can contain Polvika and gain some momentum, we might have a big game on our hands.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Klein vs. Klein Cain</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Klein vs. Klein Cain game is a big one because both teams need a district win to avoid going 0-2. Klein leads over Cain in all stat categories but this game is a big rivalry match between the two schools who are just down the road from each other. Klein gets junior setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='177531' first='Kinslee' last='Smith']</strong> back after being out for injury. This will hopefully provide some stability on offense for the Bearkats. Cain will have to rely on kill leader<strong> Courtney Carter</strong>. Courtney can bring a lot of intensity and big swings for the Hurricanes, and Klein will have to make sure to keep that intensity in check. Klein's libero <strong>Kiersten Hay</strong> has been coming up big defensively for the Bearkats lately, and they will need a lot of consistency in ball control going into this game. Klein's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='87538' first='Mikala' last='Sampson']</strong> and <strong>Rachel Heilbrun</strong> will be offensive threats against Cain's middle blocker <strong>Jaylynn McNeil</strong>. This will be one to watch Tuesday night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Austin vs. Travis</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fort Bend Austin and Fort Bend Travis will square off tonight in an across-the-street rivalry match which could be a big game for Austin. Austin looks to dethrone the 5-0 district standing of Travis, and Travis is looking to stay undefeated. Austin's <strong>Carli Banks </strong>leads both teams in kills with 303, and Travis's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='153297' first='Ryan' last='Williams']</strong> is right behind her with 287. Carli also leads both teams in digs and aces, and Travis will have to contain her athleticism if they want a chance at beating Austin. [player_tooltip player_id='153297' first='Ryan' last='Williams'] is not only a great outside hitter but a great blocker as well. Austin will have to keep that in mind when running their offense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->