George West celebrates a regional championship and berth in the state tournament. (Photo by Gerald Castillo)

NOTES FROM AROUND THE STATE

We pick the state champs...big changes for Texas teams in the national polls

NOV. 21 — Let's go ahead and get this out of the way right up front. Houston Straford will win the state's premier volleyball prize, the 5A championship, this weekend in San Marcos.

Of course it was only two weeks ago that most of the Texas volleyball world wrote off the Spartans. Stratford had lost back-to-back warm-up matches to Austin Westlake and Cy Creek. The volleyball bulletin boards were lit up with "stick a fork in them they're done" predictions from players and fans who had the "inside scoop" on why the state's pre-season #1 team was finished (interestingly enough, most of those players and fans will not be in San Marcos this weekend). Apparently the only person not in panic mode was Stratford coach Becky Palermo.

"Are you kidding." Palmero said with a chuckle as her team prepared for their first playoff match a few days after the two losses."We spent two months yawning and we needed competition to get us back into playoff caliber form. I told them I wanted to play two tough teams back-to-back. That's what we needed to get back into playoff form and I wasn't worried at all that we lost, because actually we played well in all of the matches and it got us ready for the playoffs."

Is Westlake coach Al Bennett worried that his top-ranked Chaps will be looking past Klein and ahead to a possible championship match?

"That won't be a problem," said Bennett. "We lost in this round last year (to Amarillo) and we have two players (Meghan Kainz and Lindsey Louis) who were starters in that match and they want to make sure we take it to the next level. We will be very focused. Klein beat Cy Creek and Cy Creek beat us, so Klein certainly has our attention."

Bennett also recognizes that any team capable of making it to the Final Four is capable of winning it all. The key, he says, is not to get overwhelmed by the setting.

"In my experience, in this setting when a team is relaxed enough to do what they do best they will win the match" said Bennett. "If you get two teams doing that, you have a great match."

While Stratford and Westlake expected to be in the Final Four, Klein and Arlington Martin have had Cinderella seasons.

"Absolutely not," said Martin coach Joni McCoy, when asked if she thought the Warriors would be in the state tournament when the season started.

"To be honest, I never expected this," said Klein coach Cindy Miksch as her team celebrated around her in Huntsville.

But that doesn't mean either coach is heading to San Marcos with any intention other than winning it all.

"We are really playing as a team right now," said Miksch. "We have a lot of confidence that we can play with anyone."

"It is just amazing how they have coming along at just the right time," said McCoy. "All a coach can hope for is that the team continues to do all the things they have been doing. At this point it almost becomes more emotional than physical. It comes down to who wants it the most and what I saw on Saturday they are there."

So who do we think will win it all? Here are our predictions with a special thanks to veteran prep volleyball writer Butch Hart, who provided his insight on the 1A, 2A and 3A teams.

5A
Stratford has too much overall talent and too much firepower for a very young Martin team. The same in the other half of the bracket, where Westlake is too deep and has a distinct size advantage over Klein. Still, Kate Street is one of the smartest players Westlake has faced this season. In the finals, Stratford will hoist the trophy while Westlake's young Chaps will begin preparing for next year, when they will open the season as the state's pre-season #1.

Stratford returns the core of the team that advanced to the state championship match last season. The offense begins with all-star setter Michelle Moriarty and she has plenty of weapons to choose from such as powerful Millicent Martin on the outside, smooth Becca Sartori in the middle and a non-stop rotation of big, strong hitters. When the Spartans have struggled this season, it has been their defense that has let them down. Martin will counter with its own tremendous setter in Daniela Romero who can choose from an assortment of young power hitters such as junior Liz Snoddy and sophomore Emily Jones. Ironically, it was a district loss to Arlington Lamar in mid-season that turned the Warriors into a state qualifier. Following the loss, McCoy moved sophomore middle Amy Weigle and freshman Taylor Barnes from the JV up to the varsity and the Warriors have been on a roll ever since.

Like Stratford, Westlake is making its second straight trip to the Final Four. The Chaps have more size and depth than Klein. The offense revolves around juniors Kainz, a 6'1" setter, and Louis, a 5'11" outside. It is the sophomores who may hold the key to Westlake's title run, however. Shannon Davis and Jen Linder matured quickly and were holding their own against top-flight competition by the Pearland tournament. And 5'11"" sophomore Kelsey Wood has been strong since stepping in when senior outside Erin Miles went down with a mid-season injury. Miles is still limited to defense and passing duty, so it will be up to the sophomores to prove they can handle the pressure of the state's top stage. Klein's attack, meanwhile, begins with the talented Street. Street, who has a great all-around game, can bring the heat when she needs to, but is just as effective placing off-speed shots to open spots on the court. With Amarillo's Drew Hays graduated, Street also takes over as the player with the coolest look. Klein is far from a one-player team, however. Junior middle Jeni Loverich has a strong block and sparkplug Amanda Lucas leads a defense that will force Westlake to finish its kills.

Stratford and Westlake should survive strong challenges in the semifinals, setting up a championship in which Stratford's power up front will be just enough to get them past Westlake in a terrific match.

Semifinals:
Stratford over Martin
Westlake over Klein

Championship:
Stratford over Westlake

4A
All year long this has been the most competitive and entertaining classification and the four remaining teams promise to put on a show. Since knocking off Amarillo to finish third at the powerful Duncanville Tournament of Champions, Red Oak has been the team to beat. The Hawks are deep and talented. Defending champ Hereford has no plans to give up the title without a fight, while New Braunfels, which won the crown two years ago, survived the state's toughest district and the toughest route to the state tournament. Meanwhile, Friendswood has also faced top-flight competition all season and has its own stars.

New Braunfels is big and quick with front line of Jenna Hartmann, Erica Wendell, Gin Mozeley, Jackie Lucas and Chelsea Cornelius, who are all in the 6-foot range. And, of course, they have one of the state's top setters in Amanda Jergins.

Hereford is led by Sarah Griffin, last season's Class 4A state tournament MVP, and the team has a lot of pride and would like to prove that they deserve the same respect as the more highly publicized teams.

Then there is Friendswood. Mustangs setter Jamie Gill has a variety of attackers to choose from, beginning with the explosive duo of Kelly Stanton and Allie Spangle. Friendswood is big and quick and has faced top competition in the Houston area all season so the Mustangs will not be intimidated.

And, of course, there is Red Oak. The Hawks have beaten many of the state's top teams and they also handed Longview Pine Tree its only two losses of the season, the last coming in the Region II finals. And Arthur Stanfield's Lady Hawks are doing it with a very young team. Torie Ducas, Laurie Burrow and Kelly Fletcher headline a roster that includes 8 juniors, 3 sophomores and only 2 seniors.

These matches are easily the most difficult to predict, but based on what we've seen of these teams this season we're looking for a Red Oak - New Braunfels finals, with the Hawks completing a dream season.

Semifinals:
Red Oak over Friendswood
New Braunfels over Hereford

Championship:
Red Oak over New Braunfels

3A
The Wimberley Lady Texans are the defending state champions and have been number one in 3A polls all year. They play a fast pace and setter Jessica Grisham is one of the best in the state, any size school. Courtney McCrocklin is an offensive terror while Ashley Leach and Abbi Meyer have put up good offensive numbers. Wimberley won the state title in 1999 and 2001 so head coach Lee Grisham is looking for the junior laden club to give him a third ring. Wimberley’s only two losses were to 4A power Boerne and 5A titan San Antonio Churchill. The lady Texans defeated 26 teams that made playoffs including eight Class 5A playoff teams.

Kountze is very talented and would have like a better draw as the Lionettes beat a strong Manor team in the regional finals. Talon Morgan leads the Kountze offense for head coach Angie Cruse.

The other semifinals pits Texarkana Pleasant Grove against Monahans. This is an intriguing match as the tall and talented Hawks of Texarkana Pleasant Grove have four players 5-10 or taller including 6-1 outside hitter Briane Smith and 6-0 middle blocker Libby Morgan. Head coach Melissa Daniel has guided the lady Hawks to 33 wins and have been ranked second in the state all year behind Wimberley. Monahans has come on strong winning 35 matches and plays a strong West Texas style of ball control and attacking offense.

Semifinals:
Wimberley over Kountze
Texarkana Pleasant Grove over Monahans

Championship:
Wimberley over Texarkana Pleasant Grove

Alpine is very, very good but Pattonville Prairiland may be even more than all that. The Alpine Bucks feature a strong ball handling team without great size but won 36 matches with tenacious defense and a relentless offense that disrupted many opponents game plan. Head coach Rick Keith will have his hands full as the lady Bucks have only Laci Lanford (5-11) and Sandy Fuentez (5-9) in the middle against the lights out offense of the Lady Patriots. Class 2A All State Emilee Bolton is a nightmare for the dense as she hits (and hard) from all over the court and can dictate the flow of a match. Twins Nikki and Jodie Bybee play good offense and adequate defense while setter Megan Graham is very solid. Lacy Davis has been the defensive stopper for the Patriots and Amanda Nichols has recovered from an early season injury to provide more offensive spark.

Semifinals:
Jewett Leon over George West
Pattonville Prairiland over. Alpine

Finals:
Pattonville Prairiland over Jewett Leon

1A
Milano is young and excited, but may have drawn a daunting task meeting Windthorst. The Trojanettes have won the past five state 1A championships including one in a row for second year head coach Stacy Wolfe. "The girls have been really motivated this year, we really have three seniors, Amanda Ostermann, Brittany Schrader and Kalynne Muerer but those three and the younger girls have really pulled together into a great year," Wolfe said.

Wolfe, who attended Tidehaven High School in the Houston area has been a resident of Windthorst since 1986 and has clearly clicked on the court with the perennial power. Wolfe's first year coincided with the graduation of several seniors including two-sport All State Heather Schreiber currently an outstanding basketball player at the University of Texas.

"The girls last year heard that they were ripe and ready for picking and couldn't win without heather, I think it motivated them more than anything I could have said, this year the younger girls want their chance," Wolfe said.

Wolfe has good size with her middle and outsides as sophomores Kandis Schrader, Tessa Sails and Megan Teichman lead the offense. Sophomore setter Allison Schreiber is the younger sister as is freshman standout Danielle Veitenheimer.

Nine straight trips to the state tournament with two rings to show and looking for a third this year, Tanya Nygrin has re-loaded at Round Top-Carmine behind the strength of Haley Goebbels, Julia Graham, Kersten and Jenny Stockton. Under Nygrin’s offensive approach each player must be prepared for their opportunity as RTC uses a wide open offensive attack and goes to the hot hand. Setters Lauren Henze and Kathryn Cordes run the offense which cruised through regionals until a tremendous finals win over Flatonia 16-14, 16-14. Granger is making the first tip to the Final Four in school history. Kari Michalik is a standout for the Lions who also relay on Jolene Volek, Andrea Shirocky, Jessie Kaderka and Jessica Llolla.

Semifinals:
Windthorst over Milano
Round Top-Carmine over Granger

Championship:
Windthorst over Round Top-Carmine