Dripping Springs downs district rival Westlake for Class 6A regional volleyball berth
Henley Anderson smacked 14 kills to lead Dripping Springs, the defending Class 6A state champion, past district rival Westlake 25-17, 25-21, 25-18 in a regional quarterfinal playoff Tuesday night at Burger Center.
“We changed things up a bit, served them stronger and usually we focus on good defense and solo blocks, but Westlake’s outside are so good that you just can’t do that,” said Tigers coach Michael Kane. “We had to serve tough, show multiple blocks and force them out of system, to win."
Kane, who has led Dripping Springs to two state titles (one in Class 6A and the other in Class 5A) indicated his team was mentally prepared and stayed in system for most of the match. Anderson slammed seven of her kills in the first set, including on points 24 and 25 as Dripping Springs took a six-point lead at 18-12 and played side-out volleyball to secure the first set.
It was the third time this season that Dripping Springs and Westlake played each other. The teams split their District 26-6A meetings.
“We wanted to start fast," Anderson said. "Playing at Burger is a different feel and we were here last year; it’s a great facility, but it was important that we start fast and played with confidence.”
Westlake led 16-14 in the second set, but Dripping Springs staged a 6-0 run led by kills from Riley Certain, Sydney Lund and Anderson and closed out the Chaps for a 25-21 win. The third set was close early, as Dripping Springs led 8-7, but the Tigers shifted gears and rolled up a 7-0 run to take a 15-7 lead. The Chaps were unable to get back into the match as Dripping Springs was up 24-14 before winning the set and match, 25-18.
Anderson, who was last season's Central Texas co-player of the year, showed her experience. The sophomore added 11 digs and a service ace while Certain and Lund had seven kills each. Lund also had 12 assists and two blocks. Presley Alford had 26 assists and 12 digs with a pair of aces.
Lily Davis had eight kills for the Chaps while Allie Hudgins added seven and Claire Wernli finished with five. Emerson Butler recorded 28 assists for Westlake.
Dripping Springs, Lake Travis, Liberty Hill, Rouse, Wimberley, Thrall, Salado and Johnson City all advanced to their regional tournaments that open with Friday semifinals followed by Saturday's regional finals. The UIL state tournament is next week in Garland.
Around the area
Rouse downs Cedar Park: Rouse is back in the Region IV-5A tournament for the sixth time in eight years after beating district rival Cedar Park for the third time this season. Jade Key had 15 kills and 17 digs in the 25-21, 25-21, 23-25, 25-21 win. Savannah Skopal finished with 44 assists.
Hendrickson falls: The Hawks started fast but failed to finish in a 20-25, 15-25, 25-11, 25-19, 15-13 loss to College Station. Kara Wynn had 18 kills and 27 digs for Hendrickson, which also got eight kills from Eva Marie Thompson, 34 digs from Jordan Flores and 35 assists and 21 digs from setter Morgan Warren.
Wimberley dominates Bellville: Laney Hennessee's 17 kills and Skylar Herring's 20 assists helped push Wimberley past favored Bellville 25-22, 25-20, 25-23. Addison Parks had three blocks and two aces while Jesse Weeks added a pair of aces.
Other results: Lake Travis beat San Antonio Reagan in four sets; Liberty Hill beat New Braunfels Canyon 25-19, 20-25, 25-20, 17-25, 15-8 as Annie Witt smacked 18 kills and Carson Glenn finished with 31 assists. Gigi Mason had four kills and a block in the decisive fifth set; Johnson City swept Three Rivers 25-12, 25-13, 25-18 and Thrall swept Weimar 25-12, 25-19, 25-21; Salado beat Gateway College Prep 25-14, 25-19, 15-25, 25-18 behind Livia Niu's eight kills, six blocks and two aces; Clyde swept Blanco 25-18, 25-18, 25-20.
Regional tournaments
Class 6A (Alamo Convocation Center, San Antonio)
Friday's semifinals — Dripping Springs vs. San Antonio O'Connor, 5 p.m.; Lake Travis-San Antonio Harlan, 7 p.m. (final: Saturday noon)
Class 5A (San Antonio Northside ISD Gym)
Friday's semifinals — Rouse-McAllen Memorial, 5 p.m.; Liberty Hill-Corpus Christi Flour Bluff, 7 p.m. (final: Saturday noon)
Class 4A (Bryan High School)
Friday's semifinals — Salado-Harper, 5 p.m.; Spring Hill-China Spring, 7 p.m. (final: Saturday noon)
Class 2A (Brenham High School)
Friday's semifinals — Stockdale-Schulenburg, 5 p.m.; Thrall-Johnson City, 7 p.m. (final: Saturday noon)
TAPPS Class 4A state tournament (Waco)
Friday's semifinals — Brentwood Christian vs. Bay Area Christian, 10 a.m.; McKinney Christian vs. Grace Christian, 1 p.m. (final: Saturday, 10 a.m.)
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Eight Central Texas teams advance to regional volleyball tournaments
