UIL Regional Semi-Finals Reagan vs O’Connor

<p>State playoff showdown between San Antonio area powerhouses Reagan Rattlers and O’Connor Panthers was one that was hyped up from the moment both programs won in the previous round. Both teams matched up greatly with each other and it definitely lived up to the hype.  A lot of media and fans were in attendance and everyone was ready for the battle (in accordance with all safety regulations, of course). </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>O’Connor has blazed through the regular season with a very impressive undefeated season.  They had a 16-0 district record and an overall record of 23-0.  They have been ranked as one of the best teams in the state by many publications due to their unblemished record.  They have some great talent on both sides of the ball and were ready to add one more tally in the win column.  They have one of the best liberos in the state in senior [player_tooltip player_id="87443" first="Bryshanna" last="Brown"] who is committed to Univeristy of Houston.  She is the real deal and was a beast all night long keeping the match extremely close. There wasn’t much falling on the floor near her zone.  It was a real joy for a coach to watch her play the position against some top offensive talent that Reagan was bringing to her.  She didn’t back down one bit and showed out in impressive fashion. Offensively, junior outside [player_tooltip player_id="103966" first="MacKenzie" last="Mahr"] was equally as impressive for the Panthers as she continued to bring the heat with every swing for the entire match.  She has a cannon on her that would devastate almost any team. O’Connor relied on her and fellow pin hitter, senior right side, Lexi Davila to keep them in the contest. Mackenzie moved the ball around hard angle, down the line and also added some off speed shots to score her 13 kills on the night (unofficial).  Lexi added 14 kills (unofficial) with most of them coming down the line on the right side. Setters Terez Chavez (senior) and Ava Himstreet (junior) were brilliant on the defensive end keeping the Panthers close in every set.  They spread the ball around well trying to incorporate all hitters in the offense all night. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Ronald Reagan High School is no stranger to success as they have continued to dominate the Central Texas area rankings over the last few decades.  Reagan has owned their district for the past couple of decades.  This program has reached the Regional Finals nine times in the last twenty years.  They wanted this one bad as they have been knocked out by O’Connor in the past. Some in the volleyball world were hesitant to pick Reagan to win this contest solely based on the records of the two teams and state rankings.  I put a lot of stock in who both teams have played and knew that this team was not going to back down from any fight due to the players they have on their roster and also who they have played all year long.  They belong to what is widely considered the strongest or one of the strongest districts in the state this year.  Being battle tested against teams like Clarke, Madison, and Brandeis multiple times this year will definitely prepare you for any war with any top team. We have previewed many of the Reagan athletes this season and here is a refresher of who they are:</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="99491" first="ChiChi" last="Ozigbo"] [2023] 5-10 Outside/Middle (HS: Reagan/Club: Alamo/Verbal: Uncommitted) </strong></p> <p>Chichi is currently ranked as the 14^thbest player on our 2021 Prep Dig State Rankings. Chichi is athletic and plays really high above the net.  Coach Torvik says they are fortunate she is able to play more than one Role and they plan on using her on the Right Side as well as the Middle.  We have recently published an article highlighting her skills and we are very impressed with this freshman.  She is definitely a head turner with her offensive prowess.  She can hit just as well as any upperclassman in the district. We look forward to seeing her progress in the coming years.  She will be ranked very high once the rankings get updated in June. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="99498" first="Katie" last="Hill"] [2023] 5-10 Middle (HS: Reagan/Club: SA Magic/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <p>Katie is currently ranked as the 45^thbest player on our 2023 Prep Dig State Rankings.  Katie is a hard working kid whose effort is unmatched.  She is very dynamic in her lateral movement and works hard in transition to be available to her setters.  She loads up very well at the net both in defensive posture while blocking and during her attacking approach.  I really like the way she holds her arms up high while her opponent is in transition.  This shows that she has been trained well and that she is extremely coachable to retain that information and add it to her game.  If she keeps that up, she will be great.  She is a freshman on the rise.  She is as of now unranked in our state rankings, but once they get updated in June, I guarantee she will be listed.  Stay tuned to see where she falls on them.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="99495" first="Alyssa" last="Manitzas"] [2023] 5-1 Libero (HS: Reagan/Club: Alamo/Verbal: Uncommitted)</strong></p> <p>Alyssa is currently ranked as the 29^thbest player on our 2023 Prep Dig State Rankings. According to coach Torvik, Alyssa is a true student of the game.  With her high volleyball IQ and solid footwork/base she is only going to continue to turn heads. We have written about Miss Manitzas in a recent article and agree that she has a very bright future ahead of her.  Reagan has a great leader in the making with this one.  I can’t say officially where until I publish my updates in June, but Alyssa should easily be in the top 30 in the State overall rankings once they come out. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="99539" first="Nyah" last="Anderson"] [2021] 6-0 Outside (HS: Reagan/Club: SA Magic/Verbal: Miami)</strong></p> <p>Nyah is currently ranked as the 54^thbest player on our 2021 Prep Dig State Rankings.  Miss Anderson has earned 6A TGCA All State honors and was the 27-6A District Offensive Player of the Year.  Nyah turns heads everywhere Reagan plays.  Her size and balanced movement is not only evident in the front row but in the back row as well.  They have relied on her talent for the past couple of years and her senior season should be no different.  They will look to her for her leadership and experience in this tough district.  Nyah is committed to Miami and will provide the Hurricanes the same time of explosiveness that she has been bringing to her Magic volleyball club and the Rattler program.  When she cocks her arm back, the other team better put up at least a decent block because if not, I feel sorry for the defender.  They pretty much have no chance as she unleashes some awesome power on the ball.  She has every shot imaginable as I have seen her hit sharp cross, deep cross, line, and even off speed tips to the deep corners in out of system plays. </p> <p><br /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="99542" first="Julia" last="Aleman"] [2021] 5-10 Outside (HS: Reagan/Club: Alamo/Verbal: St. Mary’s)</strong></p> <p>Julia is currently ranked as the 65^thbest player on our 2021 Prep Dig State Rankings.  Julia is long and quick to the ball.  She is very explosive off of the ground and truly utilizes her core to attack. It is very refreshing to see a hitter engage her core as much as Julia does.  It helps her absolutely unload a violent attack on the ball.  She is able to use her lightning quick arm swing to throttle the ball to the opponent.  She is a smart hitter who does a great job redirecting her swing.  Julia also is a double threat because she is great in the back row as well.  She is a true six-rotation outside hitter as she has some amazing ball control in the passing game.  We fully expect Julia to land somewhere on our state rankings update in June. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="87398" first="Maddie" last="Correa"] [2021] 5-6 Libero (HS: Reagan/Club: Alamo/Verbal: Texas Tech) </strong></p> <p>She comes in as the 10^thranked prospect in the State for the 2021 class.  We also recently wrote an article that contained information about Maddie’s amazing skillset.  Miss Correa has earned 5A/6A TGCA All Star honors and was 1^st Team All District this past year.  According to Coach Torvik, Maddie is their unquestioned leader.  She is compelled daily to show up and lead vocally and by example.  Being a coach’s kid she has grown up in the Reagan Gym and absolutely bleeds Green.  Coach Torvik is excited for Maddie to continue to excel this coming season and also when she attends Texas Tech University. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>All night long Reagan showed their extremely balanced game both offensively and defensively against such a formidable opponent.  Set one was marred with lots of long serves out of bounds by O’Connor which helped Reagan deliver the first set loss to the O’Connor team all year long.  Reagan was able to win it 25-19.  </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Set two was riddled with both teams trading points all game.  No one was able to sustain a run to gain an advantage.  O’connor was scoring many points by bringing left side [player_tooltip player_id="103966" first="MacKenzie" last="Mahr"] around for the second tempo attack out of the middle and it was giving Reagan some trouble.  But just when you thought O’Connor was going to go on a run, [player_tooltip player_id="99539" first="Nyah" last="Anderson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="99542" first="Julia" last="Aleman"] were able to quiet the crowd with a kill.  Reagan then moved [player_tooltip player_id="99491" first="ChiChi" last="Ozigbo"] to the middle for a couple of rotations which helped with slowing down Mahr’s second tempo middle attack. O’Connor then moved Mahr’s attack coming out of the left side which she exploited without having Ozigbo’s block to slow her down.  It was a good chess match between the two coaches and was the deciding factor in set two with O’Connor able to pull off the victory 25-18 to even the match at 1-1. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Set three started out exactly like the first two sets with both teams trading points back and forth with long rallies and amazing defense.  Two things that really stood out to me while watching set three was the defense on the right side by both Reagan setters.  They were playing lights out keeping their team in the rally and in-system.  The other item that stood out to me and all other spectators was the play and poise by super sophomore defensive specialist [player_tooltip player_id="99495" first="Alyssa" last="Manitzas"].  All night long she blended in with the upper classmen and was never phased by the atmosphere or perceived pressure.  This young lady is a beast and she will continue to move up our rankings as she progresses.  Now back to the match…a few ref calls and some huge power kills by Reagan senior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id="99542" first="Julia" last="Aleman"] ended the set 25-21.  This gave Reagan the advantage going into the fourth set up 2 games to 1.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Set four was all about [player_tooltip player_id="99539" first="Nyah" last="Anderson"].  This young lady was all over the court both defensively and offensively.  It seemed that the ball just always found her body. O’Connor went up early and held the advantage for a bit until Reagan mounted their comeback to tie up the game at 7-7 with some great pressure serving by Alyssa Mantizas.  Nyah then heated up offensively and forced O’Connor to call their first timeout at 9-12.  Reagan never looked back after that and kept their foot on the gas.  Big swings by O’Connors Mahr were coming but the Reagan defense was slowing her down and frustrating her.  Still a heavy dose of [player_tooltip player_id="99539" first="Nyah" last="Anderson"] throughout the rest of the fourth set was all Reagan needed to shut the door on the Match and they won the fourth set 25-19.  They won the match 3-1 and are going to play fellow district foe Brandeis this Friday at the Northside gym at 6pm for the Regional Final Championship. </p> <p>We are looking forward to covering more matches in the UIL State Playoffs.  Stay tuned...</p>