By Michael Adams
madams@austinsportsjournal.com
The Texas high school volleyball season is on the horizon.
The University Interscholastic League allows teams to begin playing regular season games on Monday, with the first tournaments slated to begin on Thursday.
With UIL redistricting shaking up many area districts, several state championship hopefuls and a star-studded list of talent, the 2024 season is shaping up to be one to remember.
Here are five storylines to follow as the high school volleyball season gets underway.
Can Dripping Springs win return to the top of Class 6A?
Dripping Springs was knocked out of the playoffs by San Antonio Harlan in the Region IV championship match. Not only were the Tigers beat, they were swept in their worst match of the season. Don’t think the Tigers have forgotten.
Dripping Springs may have the most complete team head coach Michael Kane has had in his long career with the Tigers. Junior outside hitter Henley Anderson and 6-1 senior Riley Certain are one of the best offensive duos in the state. Defensively, senior middle blockers Elise Roffers and Ashley Euston might as well be a brick wall for opposing offenses. The addition of libero and Texas pledge Callie Kruger adds another layer to a team that will likely be unstoppable.
Are there other state championship contenders?
The change in the playoff format to resemble Class 6A football creates 12 state championships for volleyball – two per classification. Because of the new format, the Austin area has more than a handful of teams that look to be state championship contenders.
Aide from Dripping Springs, who will be a certain 6A-Division II contender, Westlake will field one of its best teams in a while. The Chaps will likely go to Division I as long as Bowie and Lake Travis don’t make the playoffs in District 26-6A. If the Bulldogs and Cavs both qualify for the playoffs, Westlake will likely go Division II along with Dripping Sptings.
In Class 5A, Liberty Hill has all the pieces to return to the state championship game for the second straight year. The Panthers are loaded and will be a favorite to claim the 5A-II state title.
In the lower classifications, Salado and Wimberley are contenders in Class 4A, while Blanco (3A) and Johnson City (2A) will also contend for state titles in their respective classifications.
The Eagles were a state semifinalist last year and returns most of that team. The Texans have one of the top players in the state in Alabama-pledge Laney Hennesee and returns most of the players from last year’s regional finalist squad. Salado and Wimberley will both be in the 4A-II bracket, but in different regions. They will meet in the Division II state semifinals should both teams get that far.
Who is making it out of the ‘District of Doom’?
District 26-6A is arguably the toughest in Class 6A, if not the state. Often referred to as “The SEC of Texas high school volleyball,” 26-6A is home to state powerhouses Dripping Springs, Westlake and Lake Travis. Those three schools have a combined nine state championships in their programs history. That leaves the remaining four teams battling for that fourth playoff spot.
Lake Travis is in reloading mode, but might be better than they appear to be on paper. The Cavaliers are well coached and their junior varsity team won the district last year.
Austin High and Bowie might be the two teams battling it out for that final playoff spot, which is strange to say because both have enough talent to win any other district.
What other district races to watch
Vandegrift and Vista Ridge will be in a dead heat all season for the 25-6A race. The Vipers have the better team on paper, but it’s very close. The Rangers have a lot of talent in outside hitter Jennavee Jensen and libero Merrick Hammel, and are well coached. Hutto, Westwood, Round Rock and Stony Point will likely challenge for the final two playoff spots.
Another interesting race will be 24-5A. Anderson and McCallum will battle for the district championship, but there’s a few sleepers that might shake things up, including Cedar Creek, Bastrop and Ann Richards.
Is this the year Austin catches up to Dallas?
Austin has won only 11 state championships since 2000, while the Dallas area has won 24. Dripping Springs the only team from Austin to win a state champion in the past 10 years – 2015 and 2022, but that very well could change this season. There are seven Austin area teams that are legitimate state contenders. It’s not unrealistic to think at least three could walk away with championships and put an end to the metroplex’s dominance.
Michael Adams is the publisher and owner of the Austin Sports Journal. Reach him at madams@austinsportsjournal.com, and follow him on X @MichaelAdamsASJ.