By Michael Adams
michael@otssports.com

ROUND ROCK – A common coachspeak cliché goes, “it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.” 

On Tuesday, in front of a near packed Dragon Gymnasium at Round Rock High School, the Round Rock volleyball team lived that cliché. 

With a 2 set to 0 lead against Westwood, the Dragons (31-10, 9-1 District 25-6A) fired an 11-1 run to start the third and appeared to be cruising to a sweep of the Warriors. 

However, Westwood (18-23, 5-5) didn’t go down without a fight and rallied back to take the third set… and the fourth… and held match point in the fifth and deciding set.

“I knew, even with an 11-1 lead in the third set, they weren’t going to just go away,” said Round Rock head coach Christi Dreier. “That’s happened to us before, the reverse sweep. That’s happened to us twice. It happened against Georgetown, and it happened against Vista (Ridge)… I told them in the time out there in the fifth set, it’s up to you guys.” 

The Dragons answered their coach’s call. Behind junior setter Alexa Ankerstar’s five kills in the fifth set, Round Rock held off the tenacious Warriors to win the match 3-2 (25-14, 25-22, 23-25, 22-25, 17-15). 

Ankerstar, a setter, had no kills in the first three sets of the game. She had four in the fourth set and then had a .625 hitting percentage in the fifth, making key kills, including a crucial one on a Westwood match point to tie final set at 14.  

“She was the difference,” Dreier said. “I made a switch, my outside wasn’t playing so well, so I put Lexi in there because I knew she could swing, and man, did she ever.” 

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Round Rock never trailed in the first two sets, with the smallest lead being one point with the score 23-22 in the second set. After a Westwood error, sophomore outside hitter Alta Wilson hit the game winner to give the Dragons a 2-0 lead. Wilson finished the match with a team-high 16 kills. 

Westwood fell behind 11-1 in the third set with the only point coming from a Round Rock error. As it looked as though the Dragons were going to cruise to the victory, the Warriors found that fight that had them winners of their last three matches before Tuesday’s game with Round Rock. 

The Dragons led 22-12 and needed only three points to seal the win. However, Westwood senior outside hitter Julia Hopkins led an offensive assault, while sophomore middle blocker Grace McCluskey directed a fierce defensive effort to stage a monumental comeback. 

The Warriors finished the set on a 13-1 run behind Hopkins and McCluskey to stay alive in the match. Hopkins finished with a match-high 20 kills and four blocks while McClauskey had five blocks and four kills. Junior Ava Moncada added four blocks to the defensive effort. 

“I think they like the chase, they like the challenge,” said Westwood coach Madison Smith. “We’re down 10-1 and then they decide, now let’s go get them. Grace really turned it on (in the third set), and Julia is a phenomenal athlete and a leader, and she steps up in these situations.” 

The Warriors commanded the fourth set, never trailing, and took the set 25-22 to send the match to the deciding set. 

Westwood took a 7-3 lead to open the set and held the lead until a kill by Ankerstar tied the set at 13. Hopkins responded with a kill of her own to set up match point for the Warriors. 

However, Ankerstar responded to tie the set once again. Both teams gave up points on errors in the next two points, and a block by Morgan Houston set up match point for the Dragons. 

The victory clinched a playoff spot for Round Rock, which is in first place in the district. 

Westwood falls two games behind Stony Point and Vista Ridge for the final playoff spot with four games left to go. The Warriors will have to win out to make the playoffs – including an Oct. 20 game at Stony Point – and have some help.

Box Score

Teams	1	2	3	4	5	Final
Westwood 18-23)	14	22	25	25	15	2
Round Rock (31-10)	25	25	23	22	17	3