By Michael Adams
Austin Sports Journal
GARLAND — Three days of volleyball, 11 new state champions, a rise in attendance and a dramatic finish in the final match reinforced the sport’s growth in Texas.
Here are five takeaways from the 2025 UIL volleyball state championships:
Byron Nelson leaves no doubt they are the best team in the nation
No program arrived to the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland with higher expectations than the Byron Nelson Bobcats.
And no program delivered more emphatically.
Trophy Club Byron Nelson completed a perfect 42–0 season and extended its winning streak to 78 straight matches and swept Pearland Dawson to claim the Class 6A Division I title, solidifying its status as the nation’s No. 1 team.
Players and coaches had no idea how long the steak had gone for. When asked about the 78-match winning streak, head coach Brianne Groth responded, “wow, that’s what it is?” That’s a true testament to how dominant this program has been the last two seasons.
The championship game’s most valuable player Kylie Kleckner led the Bobcats with 21 kills and 18 digs, while the roster’s depth, serve-receive consistency and late-set composure underscored a team that rarely looked threatened all year.
Adding emotional resonance, Groth returned to the sideline less than three weeks after giving birth to twins, a storyline that became part of one of the most memorable runs in Texas high school volleyball history.
Southlake Carroll–Austin High close the weekend with thrilling five setter
The most dramatic turning point of championship weekend unfolded in the Class 6A Division II final,.
Austin High led 17–12 in the fourth set with a 2–1 match advantage and appeared within points of securing its first state title since 1992.
Then the match flipped.
Behind the game’s most valuable player Kinsley Young, Southlake Carroll unleashed an 8–0 run, and after Austin pulled within one, the Dragons closed the set with a 5–0 finishing push to force a deciding fifth set.
From there, Southlake Carroll carried the momentum to a 15–10 win behind Young, who finished with 22 kills and 26 digs. No other match turned faster or more decisively, and no swing carried greater consequence.
Cedar Park finally gets its gold
A year after falling to Frisco Wakeland in the state final, Cedar Park returned determined not to let history repeat itself.
The Timberwolves delivered the program’s first state championship with a sweep of Argyle in the Class 5A Division II final. Cedar Park showed composure and maturity shaped by last year’s heartbreak, especially when they trailed 21–15 in the third set before storming back to close out the title.
The game’s most valuable player Joy Udoye led the way, supported by a senior core that returned nearly intact from 2024. No team in the building carried the weight of unfinished business like the Timberwolves, and no team delivered a more cathartic finish.
Highland Park showed its future has arrived
While some champions were built on senior leadership, Highland Park arrived in Garland looking like a team just beginning its climb.
The Scots swept A&M Consolidated to win the Class 5A Division I championship, powered by sophomore Sarah Floyd, who posted 14 kills on her way to being the game’s most valuable player.
With key contributors returning across the lineup in 2026 Highland Park and head coach Michael Dearman made a statement that the Scots will be back in 2026..
Attendance trends upward for most state finals
Attendance was noticeably higher across nearly every classification this year in the second season where two state champions were crowned in each division. The only match that didn’t was the Class 5A Division II final, which drew the third lowest attendance with 1,107 fans.
The highest-attended match of the weekend was the Class 4A Division I final between Decatur and La Vernia with 2,611 fans in attendance, followed closely by the 6A Division II championship between Austin High and Southlake Carroll with 2,522 fans.
In total, 16,287 volleyball fans flocked to Garland for the state finals.
