By Michael Adams
Austin Sports Journal

The Cedar Park Timberwolves are headed back to Garland for the UIL volleyball state championships, and they’re after redemption.

Cedar Park (38-12) carries a 19-match winning streak into Saturday’s Class 5A Division II final against Argyle (38-3), a program making its seventh state tournament appearance and owner of the 2015 state title. First serve is set for 1 p.m.

The Timberwolves are seeking the school’s first volleyball state championship in their fourth trip to the state tournament. This marks their second straight appearance in the final after falling to Frisco Wakeland in last year’s 5A-II title match.

Nine players and five starters return from that state runner-up squad, including senior outside hitters Joy Udoye and Mya Cheatum, who lead the team with 568 and 411 kills, respectively. That experience has Cedar Park entering Saturday with confidence.

The X-factor may be senior middle blocker Sienna Benavides.

Benavides is one of the Timberwolves’ most efficient attackers, hitting .232 with 2.0 kills per set and 280 total kills. She also anchors the middle with 125 blocks, making her one of the Austin area’s top defensive players.

Argyle, like Cedar Park last season, enters the final with limited championship experience despite reaching last year’s state semifinals. The Eagles are powered by freshman outside hitter Alexis Elsey, who leads the team in kills and kills per set and ranks second in digs behind libero Teagan Barnett. Sophomore Sophia Durik leads the team in blocks.

For Cedar Park, Saturday is about redemption and sending its six seniors out on top in what is likely the Timberwolves’ final season in Class 5A. The school is expected to move up to Class 6A when the UIL announces its realignment and reclassification in February.

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