Unfinished Business: 6A Teams Poised to Postseason Return

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6A volleyball in Texas has been an absolute gauntlet of talent and competition. At this point, it is anyone's game on any given night of the week. As we approach playoffs in just a few short weeks, we will take a look at some 6A teams who are ready to jump back in it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Cy Ranch</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Of course, we have Cy Ranch on the list as a team in need of redemption after last year's 2nd round loss to The Woodlands. Cy Ranch returns almost the entire team from last season and has not stopped since August 1st. They only lost two games all season very early in tournament play. They are on a 21-win streak at the moment, with their next game against Bridgeland on Friday, one of the few teams to take them to 5 sets all season. They carry the #4 scorer in the nation with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='176661' first='Bianna' last='Muoneke']</strong>, who is getting close to 700 season kills. I think what gives Cy Ranch an edge over other teams is its ability to finish in high-stress, high-pressure situations. Some other big playmakers for Cy Ranch are <strong>Kirby Kalifas </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='179890' first='Taylor' last='Porter'],</strong> who is a huge part of Cy Ranch's ball control. She takes the majority of balls in serve receive and has only errored 20 times this season. Kirby is handling the offense for Cy Ranch and is doing a great job. Her competitive spirit is able to come to the forefront. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Katy Tompkins</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Katy Tompkins really surprised everyone I think this season with how well they have continued to play all season. They were consistently in the top 10 in early pre-season but haven't moved out of the top 10 since. Their success has stemmed from a very well-rounded offense, 3 players are in the triple digits for kills, and 5 players are in triple digits for digs. So what can be said about Tompkins? They score well, and they are hard to score against. They have sophomore libero <strong>Brooklynn Merrell</strong>, who has done a phenomenal job for her team this season. Their kill leaders are <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='87549' first='Cindy' last='Tchouangwa'], Tendai Titley, </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='197076' first='Skylar' last='Skrabanek']</strong>, all of who are incredible athletes who can score in tough situations. If you are in Region 3 or 4, you need to be paying attention to Tompkins.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>O'Connor</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>O'Connor lost a tough one last season in the Regional Semi-Finals to a really good Vandegrift team. They are on a 14-game win streak right now and don't look to be stopping any time soon. They have some outstanding juniors and seniors who are bringing a lot of playoff experience to the table this season. Senior setter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='122893' first='Jenna' last='Garza']</strong> is approaching 1500 career assists and is one of the best senior setters in the Central Texas area. She runs a very clean offense that is well-rounded. Junior outside<strong> Kelli Fording </strong>is leading the team in kills. She has a lot of ball control and volleyball IQ. Junior libero <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='197081' first='Carly' last='Chavez']</strong> is one of the grittiest defensive specialists in the region and leads the way from middle back. O'Connor's ball control and great serve receiving have been a highlight of their successful season thus far. It will be hard for opposing teams to find the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Boswell</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Boswell dropped out of the playoffs last year way too early in a 5-set loss to Timber Creek. Boswell will be back and is currently holding on to the first-place spot in their district. They have two well-rounded senior outside hitters, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='87543' first='Stephanie' last='Gutierrez'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='153299' first='Madison' last='Parrish']</strong>. Stephanie is hitting well over .300 in her senior season. Standing at 6'1, she is a great asset to have on the outside and on the block as well. Boswell is a great blocking team. They have a huge front row, and with the addition of freshman <strong>Keoni Williams </strong>this season, their front row got even bigger. The 6'4 freshman has 143 total blocks which is top 40 in the entire country. Boswell is a heavy-hitting, tall, athletic team, that will be hard to play against if you don't have the right front row match-up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Rockwall</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rockwall is looking to get a rematch at the Regional Quarterfinal Match this season, and they are in a good position right now if they finish out in first place. Senior libero <strong>Addison Goss</strong> is back in the jersey this season and has been looking solid all year. If you have ever seen Addison play, she's mostly on the floor making sure the ball stays off of it and this seems to work well for her and her team. Pin-hitter <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='197071' first='Harley' last='Krause']</strong> has been stellar for Rockwall this year. She can really hit at any position and has got an aggressive snap on the ball. Setter <strong>Gabi Ashcraft</strong> is running a very good offense for Rockwall. Hopefully, their offense keeps coming together to give them that extra push they need in the playoffs this post-season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->