State Championship Preview - Day 3

The University Interscholastic League (UIL) high school volleyball State Tournament is ready to enter its third day of competition at the Curtis Culwell Center, in Garland, on Friday. While state champions will be crowned in Division 2A, the day will also have the four teams from Divisions 5A and 6A on the court for the first time.   We'll continue to keep you informed about everything that's happening in Garland until Sunday with multiple articles here at Prep Dig Texas and part of the content we'll provide will be a daily preview, so you always know what's going to happen every single day and what are the prospects that could play big roles for their teams in the most important moment of the season.   Here's what to look out for on Friday:   Division 2A - Championship Match   Lindsay vs. Windthorst - 3 PM   The Lindsay Lady Knights have earned a third attempt to secure their first state title with their dramatic five-set victory over Leon in Wednesday's semifinals. Lindsay had three players scoring in the double digits in that match - junior outside hitter Emily Metzler (16 kills), senior outside hitter Abigail Hellman (15) and senior middle Tatum Fleitman (12 kills and four blocks).   The Windthorst Trojanettes had a smoother encounter in the semifinals, topping Schulenburg in four sets to advance. The program has also lifted the state title 13 times and will be looking to do it again after 14 years. Junior outside hitters Rylee Wolf (19 kills, nine digs) and Annikah Frank (14 kills, 22 digs) came up big for the Trojanettes, who also got seven kills and five blocks from senior right side Tara Tackett.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/RobynHearnTV/status/1593052345142632448?s=20&t=zLaJgP0cN05R-htX2jE6ag </div></figure>   Division 5A - Semifinals   Liberty Hill vs. Reedy - 11 AM   The Liberty Hill Panthers are set to make their fourth State Tournament appearance and will try to go past the semifinals for the first time. They emerged from Region IV with 42 wins and ten losses. An outstanding blocker, senior middle [player_tooltip player_id='219457' first='Morgan' last='Poulain'] played a huge hole for the Panthers in the regular season, as did their junior trio of [player_tooltip player_id='177545' first='Giovanna' last='Mason'] (right side), Kealy Dirner (outside hitter) and [player_tooltip player_id='227325' first='Keegan' last='Walton'] (libero).   The Reedy Lady Lions are about to conclude a historic season as they got to compete in the State Tournament for the first time after they stood out in Region II with 27 wins and 13 losses. Senior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='141121' first='Halle' last='Schroder'] has been a difference-maker for a solid Reedy team that features some other talented prospects, such as senior setter/right side Gracie Cagle and senior middles Taylor Fogliani and Reese Miller.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/LHHSVB/status/1593331859580076033?s=20&t=zLaJgP0cN05R-htX2jE6ag </div></figure>   Colleyville Heritage vs. Lake Creek - 1 PM   The Colleyville Heritage Panthers will try to make the most of their first-ever State Tournament appearance. They found their way to Garland via Region I, registering 41 wins and seven losses during the season. Sophomore outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='180469' first='Suli' last='Davis'] is a force at the pin, especially when set by talented senior Morgan Howard. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='141135' first='Reagan' last='Engler'] (middle) and [player_tooltip player_id='141132' first='Ella' last='Busey'] (outside hitter) are other standouts for the Panther.   The Lake Creek Lady Lions are also making their first State Tournament appearance - their best campaign heading into the season was last year's, when they stopped at the Regional Quarterfinals. This time, they managed to win Region III with 32 victories and 16 losses. Senior outside hitter Payton Woods has been Lake Creek's top scorer during the season, but also keep an eye on senior setter Lauren Greene, senior middle Lauren Hilty and senior libero [player_tooltip player_id='99502' first='Lauren' last='Vickery'].   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/lakecreekvb/status/1593262508231561216?s=20&t=0VhhBUbJ2hT6H8QYbaJF_Q </div></figure>   Division 6A - Semifinals   Tompkins vs. Keller - 5 PM   The Tompkins Falcons worked hard to secure their first-ever State Tournament appearance, dominating Region III with a solid campaign of 41 wins and just four losses. The team is loaded in pretty much every position and has a stellar point-scorer in right side [player_tooltip player_id='87549' first='Cindy' last='Tchouangwa']. Other standouts for Tompkins on this historic season have been junior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='197076' first='Skylar' last='Skrabanek'], sophomore libero Brooklynn Merrell and senior setter Presley Powell.   The Keller Indians emerged from Region I with a strong campaign of 33 wins and 11 losses. They are in just their second State Tournament appearance and will try to improve from their second-place finish last season. Senior outside hitter Reagan Sharp has been the focal point of the offensive system ran by senior setter [player_tooltip player_id='87577' first='Taylor' last='Polivka']. Another senior, libero [player_tooltip player_id='176656' first='Kea' last='Whillock'] has been a stud on the backcourt while junior middle [player_tooltip player_id='124142' first='Anna' last='Boatner'] is very productive at the net.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/OTHSVolleyball/status/1593299192956452864?s=20&t=zLaJgP0cN05R-htX2jE6ag </div></figure>   The Woodlands vs. Dripping Springs - 7 PM   The Highlanders from The Woodlands are back in the State Tournament for a fifth time (the first since 2017) and won back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014. This season, they were a force in Region II with 43 wins and nine losses. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='176642' first='Claire' last='Dewine'] (setter/right side) and [player_tooltip player_id='195826' first='Molly' last='Tuozzo'] are the heart and soul of a team that also has exceptional talent in sophomore outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='179917' first='Ella' last='Lewis'] and senior middle Marjorie Johnson.   The Dripping Springs Lady Tigers advanced all the way to the State Tournament in their first season in Division 6A - they've been there on six occasions and won two titles in Division 5A. Their 41-13 win record was good enough to get them through in Region IV. Senior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='87537' first='Mackenzie' last='Plante'] has been an individual standout in a strong Dripping Springs that also got excellent production from freshman outside hitter Henley Anderson, junior setter Presley Alford and senior middle [player_tooltip player_id='176636' first='Natalie' last='Arnold'].   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/DSISD/status/1592578715036573697?s=20&t=zLaJgP0cN05R-htX2jE6ag </div></figure>

The University Interscholastic League (UIL) high school volleyball State Tournament is ready to enter its third day of competition at the Curtis Culwell Center, in Garland, on Friday. While state champions will be crowned in Division 2A, the day will also have the four teams from Divisions 5A and 6A on the court for the first time.