By Michael Adams
Austin Sports Journal

The UIL volleyball playoffs kick off Thursday with a new twist, the state semifinals will be held at predetermined neutral sites as part of a pilot program.

Under the new format, state semifinal matches for all classifications – from Class 6A to 1A – will be played Saturday, Nov. 15 at sites that were announced Monday at the UIL Legislative Council meetings.

For programs in the Austin–San Antonio corridor, Region III and IV champions will meet at several locations across the state. In Class 6A, both Division I and Division II semifinals will take place at Delmar Fieldhouse in Houston, while Class 5A semifinal matchups are set for the Merrell Center in Katy.

Class 4A semifinalists from Regions III and IV will play at Littleton Gym in San Antonio, and the 3A semifinal for those regions is scheduled for A&M Consolidated High School in College Station. The 3A Region I and II semifinal will be hosted by Wichita Falls Legacy High School.

In the smaller classifications, the 2A Region III and IV semifinal will be played at Brenham High School, and Class 1A semifinal matchups will take place at Athens High School (Regions III and IV) and Midlothian High School (Regions I and II).

UIL athletic director Ray Zepeda said the organization hopes the pilot program can serve as a model for future playoff events. UIL officials will evaluate the new format before determining whether to expand it to other sports.

As in past years, only the state championship matches will be played at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland. The state finals are scheduled for Nov. 20–22.

UIL executive director Jamey Harrison said early feedback on the updated format has been largely positive, and the organization will continue reviewing whether to return to a traditional state-tournament setup in the future.