Let the Games Begin! Three Playoff Matches to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's today! After a long and exciting three-month regular season period, it's crunch time in the state of Texas with the dozens of high school volleyball teams that made it to the postseason around the Lone Star State battling to move forward and remain alive in the hunt for the four University Interscholastic League (UIL) State Tournament spots in each of the six Conferences.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first matches of the postseason will be played on Monday, when some bi-district matches will be played around the state, and here are three interesting matchups to follow to get things started.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Conroe vs. Nimitz - Nimitz HS - 5.30 PM</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Conroe Tigers (43-4) were one of the hottest teams in the Houston area all season, losing only four times so far. All four losses came in Conference 6A - District 13 play and made the team rank third with a 12-4 record. An incoming transfer, senior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='122888' first='Ariana' last='Brown'] has been a scoring machine for the Tigers, who could also count on excellent play from junior middle blocker [player_tooltip player_id='254088' first='Brooklyn' last='Spikes'], senior libero Emma Malak and junior setter [player_tooltip player_id='222740' first='Kenedi' last='Medford'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Nimitz Cougars (23-17) had more ups and downs during the early portion of the season, but delivered when it mattered the most, ranking second in Conference 6A - District 14 with 11 wins and just three losses. Senior outside hitter Holly Richardson has been a key player for the Cougars, standing out on both sides of the ball, while senior setter Mia Briggs and junior middle blocker T'Asia Green have also been significantly productive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Waxahachie vs. Hutto - Waco Midway HS - 6.00 PM </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Waxahachie Indians (37-10) located in the southern Dallas area have been one of not many teams in the entire state to go unharmed in district play. They won all their 14 matches to finish at the top of Conference 6A - District 11 and will now be tested against different opponents. The trio of Amber Morgan, Mia Sanchez (senior outside hitters) and junior middle [player_tooltip player_id='230657' first='Tionna' last='Owens'] have been splitting the team's offensive load while senior libero Abby Fuller and senior setter Taylor Cavazos have been performing well in their positions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Situated in the northern Austin region, the Hutto Hippos (21-16) enter the postseason on the back of two consecutive wins that pushed them to fourth place in Conference 6A - District 12 with a 5-7 win record. Sophomore setter [player_tooltip player_id='179900' first='Isabella' last='Orton'] has arguably been the team's top performer so far in the season with senior outside hitter Kamryn Haynes, senior libero Adrianna Gonzalez and junior middle Hailey Bartley also contributing to the team's campaign.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Mansfield vs. Copperas Cove - Robinson HS - 6.45 PM</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mansfield Tigers (29-12) from southeast of Fort Worth lost just one of the last eight matches before the start of the playoffs. The team had a solid conference run, finishing second in Conference 6A - District 11, with 12 wins and just two losses. Senior Lauren Krombach, juniors Mia Clay and Lauren Demuth and freshman [player_tooltip player_id='433610' first='Kylie' last='Meche'] all ended the regular season with 200+ kills, while junior setter [player_tooltip player_id='189439' first='Rachel' last='Resta'] and senior libero Nicole Ngo were also tremendously productive in their positions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Copperas Cove Bulldawgs (27-15) has three wins and three losses in their most recent matches but still did well enough to claim third place in Conference 6A - District 12 with a 7-5 win record. Sophomore middle Chloe Tuiasosopo is one of the most prolific blockers in the entire state this season, senior right side Aaliyah Butler has been on fire on offense, senior outside hitter Larisa Perez has been displaying an excellent two-way game and senior libero Leila Cooks has been a defensive rock. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->