Four Regions, Four Playoff Matches to Watch – Nov 4

The area round of the University Interscholastic League's (UIL) playoffs began on Thursday with matches taking place all over the state of Texas and it continues on Friday, with more encounters reuniting the teams that want to keep moving forward as the postseason progresses.   The next weeks will be filled with exciting matches in every corner of the Lone Star State and our Prep Dig Texas team will try and cover as many as possible to keep you up-to-date on everything that's going on in the most important moment of the season.   We'll also try to, as much as possible, daily present some of the most exciting matchups and starting today, will feature one playoff match in each of the four regions of the state of Texas.   Region 1: Lake Highlands vs. Prosper - Plano Senior HS - 7 PM   The Lake Highlands Wildcats (23-11) have won four of their last five matches, including their bi-district duel with Arlington, which they took in four sets. The team was third in Conference 6A - District 7, with ten wins and four losses. Senior setter [player_tooltip player_id='99494' first='Miller' last='McDonald'] has surpassed 1,000 assists for the season and has been one of the team's key players alongside junior outside hitters Payton Tompkins and Haley Pokorski.   The Prosper Eagles (36-7) have been one of the best teams in the region all season and went undefeated with 15 victories to win Conference 6A - District 5. The team also started the postseason strong, with a 3-1 win over Marcus. Junior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='155117' first='Ayden' last='Ames'] has been on fire and recently surpassed 500 kills for the season while seniors [player_tooltip player_id='87554' first='Ella' last='Chaney'] (outside hitter) and [player_tooltip player_id='141133' first='Callie' last='Kieffer'] (setter) have also been standing out.     <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/LHVBwildcats/status/1587848352804360194?s=20&t=c2j3sCgFtDTQXiTLUN4X7Q </div></figure>   Region 2: Bridgeland vs. Grand Oaks - Delmar Fieldhouse - 5.30 PM   The Bridgeland Bears (38-8) have consistently been strong and that's also the case this season, in which they ranked second in Conference 6A - District 16 with 12 wins and two losses. Undefeated in their last four matches, the Bears swept Klein Oak in the bi-district round. One of the best liberos in the state, junior [player_tooltip player_id='124159' first='Alice' last='Volpe'] gives the team a strong defensive presence while senior outside hitter Olivia Waggoner and [player_tooltip player_id='87547' first='Kennedy' last='Kays'] lead the offense.   The Grand Oaks Grizzlies (38-9) finished on top of Conference 6A - District 13 with a campaign of 15 wins and just one loss. The Grizzlies have won each of the last 15 matches, including their bi-district round against MacArthur, which they took in three. Grand Oaks have a young and promising core led by junior middle [player_tooltip player_id='124153' first='Jaela' last='Auguste'] and outside hitters [player_tooltip player_id='180175' first='Samara' last='Coleman'] (sophomore) and [player_tooltip player_id='318128' first='Halle' last='Thompson'] (freshman).     <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/CFISDAthletics/status/1587818507471052803?s=20&t=2H3wxdzZ2aoHYqH5oIeBAA </div></figure>   Region 3: College Station vs. Hendrickson - Giddings HS - 6.30 PM   The College Station Cougars (29-16) had a comfortable sweep of Ellison in the bi-district round after they finished third in Conference 5A - District 21 with a 10-4 win record. Freshman setter [player_tooltip player_id='318129' first='Blair' last='Thiebaud'] has been a revelation for them, having surpassed 1,000 assists in her first season. Her older sister Carson Thiebaud, a junior, has been dominating the middle while senior libero Ava Martindale keeps things steady on the backcourt.   The Hendrickson Hawks (36-11) have been in excellent form this season. Undefeated in their last 11 matches, they won Conference 5A - District 23 with a 13-1 win record and followed it up with a sweep of LASA in the bi-district round. Middle Kyra Dove (senior) and outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='186496' first='Kamea' last='Uitenham'] (junior) have been sharing the team's offensive load, fed by junior setter [player_tooltip player_id='177542' first='Morgan' last='Warren'], who's over 1,200 assists for the season.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/CSHSVball/status/1587842753114800129?s=20&t=DW_kpZFwJSRjQjxeYWhZpQ </div></figure>   Region 4: Alamo Heights vs. Canyon - Steele HS - 6.30 PM   The Alamo Heights Mules (31-9) were the winners of Conference 5A - District 27 with a 16-0 campaign and are now undefeated in 17 matches after they topped South San Antonio in three sets in the bi-district round. The team has a fantastic middle blocker duo in senior [player_tooltip player_id='141248' first='Hannah' last='Whittingstall'] and junior [player_tooltip player_id='197070' first='Thea' last='Carter'] and a terrific setter in senior Carolyn Beckel, who tallied more than 1,000 assists this season.   The Canyon Cougars (40-7) also ranked first in their district. The team prevailed in Conference 5A - District 26 with a 13-1 win record and started the postseason with a sweep of Cedar Park. The Cougars rely on senior right side [player_tooltip player_id='141247' first='Maya' last='Jones'], senior middle [player_tooltip player_id='122908' first='Courtney' last='Pope'] and junior setter [player_tooltip player_id='142200' first='Megan' last='Hawkins'] to keep moving forward in the playoffs.

The area round of the University Interscholastic League's (UIL) playoffs began on Thursday with matches taking place all over the state of Texas and it continues on Friday, with more encounters reuniting the teams that want to keep moving forward as the postseason progresses.