Texas HS: Taylor rally to beat Katy in five-set district match

<p>The high school volleyball season is underway in the state of Texas, and most districts have already started their internal battles for spots in the playoffs, meaning that every match matters now.</p>   <p>We, at Prep Dig Texas, are excited to cover another season of high school volleyball in our state and will attend multiple matches every week in the Houston area, producing articles, photos and social media posts that highlight the impressive performances and accomplishments from our players.</p>   <p>On Tuesday, September 9, we attended a District 19 match featuring two teams with playoff aspirations as the Katy Taylor Mustangs hosted the Katy Tigers.</p>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><strong><a href="https://prepdig.com/2025/09/texas-hs-katy-taylor-vs-katy-photos/">Photos: Katy Taylor vs. Katy</a></strong></li> </ul>   <p>There was a lot of back and forth, and the Tigers fought until the end, but, playing at home, the Mustangs delivered a strong fifth-set performance to win 3-2 (25-20, 22-25, 25-11, 22-25, 15-9).</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/grtorres/status/1965581062454861897 </div></figure>   <p>The victory has Katy Taylor in fourth place in the district with three wins and two losses and improved their season record to 14-14. Katy dropped to 6-14 for the season and have 1-2 in district play, appearing in seventh place. Both teams will have the Jordan Warriors as their next opponents, with the Tigers hosting them on Friday and the Mustangs playing them on the road on Tuesday.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Top Performers</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">The senior middle had an excellent performance in which she set a new school record for blocks and led the Mustangs to victory with her strong play at the net. Barrera was extremely efficient offensively, making great use of her high contact point and range to put the ball down, and was set almost every time Taylor were in sysstem, registering 12 kills - she hit from the right in one rotation and was automatic from there. She was also extremely active with her blocking, getting many touches at the net and making it difficult for opponents who tried to score, getting a team-high three stuffs. Barrera capped off an excellent performance with four aces, besides having gotten Katy out of system fairly often.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/grtorres/status/1965563814902190115 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Consistency was the name of the game with Herleth, who started the match very well and was able to keep her high level of play until the end. The junior libero took a huge responsibility in serve-receive and delivered, registering a team-high 27 passes, with only two errors. Herleth's solid backcourt performance also appeared when she played defense as the libero displayed great positioning and excellent ball control to deal with hard-driven swings, leading the Mustangs with 18 digs. She contributed from the service line too, firing four aces and going on long runs, most notably the one at the start of the third set that set her team up to produce a comfortable victory.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/09/2J4A0020_d92988.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-884873" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">The junior right side had somewhat of a slow start, struggling a little bit with her passing and making some offensive errors, but picked back up and was impeccable in the most important moment of the match, having a flawless performance on set five. Simoncic was Taylor's most-used offensive weapon and led the team in kills with 19, many of which came at the end of the tie-breaker. She took a big responsibility in serve-receive and was solid with it, tallying 20 passes and only three errors. The left-handed Simoncic also registered two blocks, two aces and 11 digs in a strong all-around performance.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/grtorres/status/1965570655090581962 </div></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">A freshman, Brooks was very consistent and stood out with her excellent decision-making, which positively impacted many areas of her game. The outside hitter was always very calm offensively and displayed a good ability to diversify with her shots, going from powerful swings to well-placed tips to record nine kills. Brooks also produced at a high level on the backcourt, leaving the court with 12 passes and 11 digs and demonstrating a solid all-around game.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/09/2J4A0086_5f5ef9.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-884907" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">The junior setter was one of Katy's top players in the match and did a very good job of running her team's offense. Dodd's distribution was excellent, as she made the right choices time and time again and kept all her hitters involved, not overloading any of them and keeping Taylor's blockers guessing. The setter also contributed on the backcourt, firing good serves and appearing well when playing defense. From the fourth set on, she took over hitting duties when at the net and performed well, showing great vision to avoid errors and find nice spots for her swings. </p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/09/2J4A0010_21b6cd.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-884870" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Miller had good moments in the middle for Katy and was one of the team's most effective players at the net. Her offensive game was on point for most of the match, and her ability to hit a very quick set in the middle made it hard for opposing blockers to stop her - she also demonstrated excellent vision to hit around the block and tip in great spots. A six-footer, Miller moved very well at the net and did a great job of consistently getting to the pins, delivering some nice stuffs during the match.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/09/2J4A0073_a3a79e.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-884900" /></figure>    <p class="text-gray-700">Katy's main offensive player, the senior outside hitter had some ups and downs during the match, but was still their leading scoring option. Chaapel used her length and firepower well for most of the time and was frequently set at the pin and the middle back position. She unleashed when in system and had some really impressive swings, but saw her level drop a little bit when she was set off the net. Chaapel also appeared well with her blocking, playing aggressively above the net to get stops, and was reliable with her passing more often than not.</p>    <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/grtorres/status/1965577028280959215/ </div></figure>

The high school volleyball season is underway in the state of Texas, and most districts have already started their internal battles for spots in the playoffs, meaning that every match matters now.