Division 6A – District 21 – The Double Play In

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Most high school teams around the state of Texas have already found out if they will or not take part in the University Interscholastic League (UIL) playoffs, but things turned out a little bit differently in Division 6A - District 21.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While College Station (13-1) and Brenham (12-2) pulled away in first and second place, a four-way tie between Magnolia, Montgomery, Lake Creek and Magnolia West, each with seven wins and seven losses, created the need for not one, but two play in matches in order to determine which programs will take the two remaining spots in the postseason.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both matches will be held on Friday, October 27, and here's what to expect from each of them:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Magnolia vs. Montgomery - 5:00 - @ Magnolia West HS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Magnolia Bulldogs ended district play with three wins in their last five matches and carry the momentum of the five-set win against Magnolia West on Tuesday that kept them alive in the playoff race. Magnolia are without their leading scorer, senior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='207393' first='Chloe' last='Richards'], who's injured, and will rely on the leadership of senior setter [player_tooltip player_id='254252' first='Kira' last='Braun'] (1,011 assists, 312 digs, 104 kills, 48 aces). Junior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='451437' first='Hailey' last='Admire'] (278 kills) is expected to step up and be the team's main scorer while senior libero Alli Gentri (430 digs, 439 passes) leads the team's backcourt efforts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/MagnoliaVBALL/status/1717365185134965185?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/MagnoliaVBALL/status/1717365185134965185?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Montogomery Bears get to the decisive match after back-to-back wins over Magnolia and A&amp;M Consolidated, having swept their play in opponents just a week ago. Freshman outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='443017' first='Delaney' last='Wright'] (437 kills, 442 digs, 446 passes, 53 aces) has been huge for Montgomery in the season and will need to bring another great performance. Senior middle Grace Ellis (235 kills, 98 blocks) has also been very strong at the net, while junior libero Ella Sadler (579 digs, 595 passes) has been getting the job done on the backcourt. Senior setter [player_tooltip player_id='218896' first='Kaysie' last='Lynch'] (1,067 assists, 297 digs, 47 aces) is another key piece in the Bears' playing system.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lake Creek vs. Magnolia West - 5:00 - @ Magnolia HS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last year's state semifinalists Lake Creek made a strong push in the final week of district play, winning matches against A&amp;M Consolidated and Rudder to catch their opponents - they also topped Magnolia West 3-1 earlier this month. The Lions have junior outside [player_tooltip player_id='269658' first='Peyton' last='McKee'] (154 kills) and sophomore middle [player_tooltip player_id='254237' first='Kansas' last='Lamar'] (114 kills) as their leading scorers - Lamar also leads the team in blocks with 41. Senior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='254296' first='Sarah' last='Caminita'] has also been huge for the team (102 kills, 222 digs, 221 passes), contributing on both sides of the ball. Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='443014' first='Brooke' last='Kelley'] (248 assists) and junior Addlyn Sessions (212 assists) have been splitting time at setter. Senior libero [player_tooltip player_id='178566' first='Kennedy' last='Schramm'] missed some time at the start of the season due to injury but is back at her usual form, providing a lot of defensive stability.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/LakeCreekVBClub/status/1717303625217691955?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/LakeCreekVBClub/status/1717303625217691955?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Magnolia West Mustangs had a rough stretch at the end of district play, dropping four of their last five matches and seeing their opponents gain ground, but their only victory in the period was a strong one, against Brenham. Junior outside hitter Sydnie Mullens (381 kills) has been leading their offense, with help from freshman right side [player_tooltip player_id='534382' first='Hayden' last='Stebbins'] (238 kills) and senior middle Olivia Cruz (210 kills), who leads the team in blocks, with 27. Sophomore setter [player_tooltip player_id='240982' first='Shannon' last='Dworaczyk'] (1,078 assists, 294 digs, 48 aces) is off to an excellent season, while senior libero Shea Mcelroy (446 digs, 340 passes) and junior defensive specialist [player_tooltip player_id='254256' first='Lauren' last='Brown'] (444 digs, 436 passes) have been studs on the backcourt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->