By Michael Adams
michael@otssports.com
With three weeks left in the 2023 high school volleyball regular season, postseason pictures are becoming clear in some districts, while others are a hot mess.
The District 25-6A playoff race is the biggest hot mess in Central Texas with Westwood (18-22, 5-4) being the disruptor. First-year head coach Madison Smith has the Warriors rolling, as Westwood has won three-straight heading into Tuesday’s match with Round Rock (30-10, 8-1).
Two of Westwood’s wins were against second-place Vandegrift and third place Vista Ridge, which upset Round Rock on Oct. 3.
All four teams, along with Stony Point, are separated by 1 to 3 games with 5 games to play. As for the rankings, Round Rock is the only team from 25-6A in this week’s power rankings, dropping two spots to No. 4.
District 26-6A’s playoff picture is a little clearer. Both Lake Travis (37-4, 10-0) and Dripping Springs (41-3, 11-1) will punch their ticket to the playoffs this week with one win. The Cavaliers and Tigers top this week’s power rankings at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.
Austin High (26-11, 8-4) holds a half-game lead over Westlake (29-11, 7-4) for third place. The Maroons stayed at No. 5, while Westlake stayed at No. 6.
Central Texas volleyball rankings
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PREVIOUS |
| 1 | Lake Travis | 37-4 | 1 |
| 2 | Dripping Springs | 41-3 | 3 |
| 3 | Rouse | 32-11 | 4 |
| 4 | Round Rock | 30-10 | 2 |
| 5 | Austin High | 26-11 | 5 |
| 6 | Westlake | 29-11 | 6 |
| 7 | Liberty Hill | 32-8 | 7 |
| 8 | Georgetown | 27-14 | 8 |
| 9 | Hendrickson | 26-6 | 9 |
| 10 | Weiss | 23-8 | 10 |
Notable: Vandegrift (17-19), Vista Ridge (24-14), Hutto (20-15), Stony Point (28-11), Taylor (23-12
Rouse (32-11, 9-0 District 25-5A) jumps to No. 3 in this week’s rankings. The Raiders clinched a playoff spot on Friday with a 3-0 win over Lockhart and are in first place with a one-game lead over Liberty Hill (34-8, 8-1), which is ranked No. 7 in this week’s poll.
Rouse wasn’t the only area team to clinch a playoff berth. Georgetown (27-14, 9-0) punched its postseason ticket last week. The Eagles hold a one-game lead over Hendrickson (26-6, 8-1) for first place. The Hawks stayed at No. 9 in this week’s rankings.
Weiss (23-8, 6-2 District 12-6A) rounds out this week’s rankings at No. 10. The Wolves are tied with Hutto for second place. The winner of Tuesday’s game between Weiss and Hutto will clinch a playoff berth, while the Loser can clinch with a win in their respective match on Friday and a loss by Bryan.
Five games to watch this week
Westwood at Round Rock, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday
Stony Point at Vandegrift, 6:30 p.m., Tuesday
Weiss at Hutto, 6:30 p.m., Tuesday
Cedar Park at Liberty Hill, 6:30 p.m., Tuesday
East View at Bastrop, 6:30 p.m., Tuesday