Salado Lady Eagles are heading to the UIL 4A Volleyball State Tournament after overcoming a 2-0 deficit to the 40-6 Spring Hill Lady Panthers to win the Region III crown.
Two of their five sets went for extra points, but Salado completely dominated the final two sets for the win.
Spring Hill won the first set 27-25 in a game that saw seven ties and leads changes. Salado never got to take the lead and every time they would narrow the margin, Spring Hill bounced back. Late in the set Macy Morris blocked a shot to tie the score at 20-20. The tie was knotted again at 21-21 after Tournament MVP Livia Niu fed Haley Brown the ball for a cross court kill. The two combined again to tie the score at 25-25, but Spring Hill was able to get the final two points, the last on a block by Tyhia Mack for the 27-25 win.
The Lady Eagles took an early 4-0 lead in the second set, but Spring Hill ran a string of four together to tie it. The score was tied again at 6-6. Elsie Law and Niu blocked a shot and Brown had a service ace to give Salado its biggest lead of the game at 8-6. The Lady Eagles again led by two following a long rally ended by Morris’s kill to make the score 11-9. But that would be their last lead of the set as Spring Hill went on a five-point run to lead 14-11.
The Lady Panthers built their lead to its largest margin of 22-16 and staved off Salado, which was able to get as close as 22-24 before giving up the final point of the set.
The Lady Panthers looked for much of the third set as if they were going to sweep Salado out of the championship, building up a 16-12 lead. Spring Hill held a 21-17 lead, which is usually enough to hang on for a win.
Morris blocked a shot to get within three. Salado gave up a point and then scored five straight with Law getting two kills and a shot block, as well as an assist to Reese Rich. Law and Niu combined for a block to give the Lady Eagles their first lead of the set at 23-22. Spring Hill tied the score at 23-23 and led 24-23 before Niu fed Brown the ball for a kill and registered a kill herself for a 25-24 lead. Law got the exclamation point on the win with a dominant block at the net to bring the score to 2-1.
Salado dominated the fourth set from start to finish. They had leads as big as 8 before winning the fourth set 25-18 and forcing the tie breaker.
The Lady Eagles controlled the tie breaker from start to finish, never giving up the lead and winning 15-7 on Rich’s final service.
Niu was named the Tournament MVP. Payton Ortega and Reese Rich were also named to the All Tournament Team.
This will be Salado’s first trip to the UIL State Volleyball Tournament and the first for first-year head coach Clint Brown. Also qualifying for the State Tournament, which will be held in the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, are defending State Champions Canyon Randall, Celina and Davenport.
Salado will face the defending State Champions Canyon Randall in the semi-final match at 7 p.m. Nov. 16. The winner will face the winner of the Celina-Davenport match at 12 noon on Nov. 18. Celina and Davenport play in the early game at 5 p.m. Nov. 16.
Texas Volleyball Insider ranks Salado ahead of the defending state champs. Salado is ranked third by the Volleyball Insider, while Canyon Randall is ranked #5. Davenport was ranked #1
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”757″ gal_title=”2023.11.11.Volleyball”]