August 24 – If there was a question in anyone’s mind about whether Austin Westlake is the team to beat this season, it was answered over the weekend at the Duncanville Tournament of Champions. The defending 5A champions and LoneStarVolleyball’s top-ranked team overpowered a field that included most of the state’s best, capturing the prestigious title with a convincing 25-23, 20-25, 25-19, 25-16 win over #2-ranked Arlington Martin.

“This weekend is all about us,” Westlake coach Al Bennett had said between matches during Friday’s first round action. “Right now we’re not worried about the people on the other side of the net. We’re focusing on the things on our side of the net that we need to work on.”

Of course that’s easy to say when your side of the net includes athletes such as Lindsey Louis, Meghan Kainz, Shannon Davis, Jen Linder, Kelsey Bryant and ... the list goes on and on and on.

Martin was the only team to take a game from Westlake, capturing game two behind the all-around play of Taylor Barnes, the blocks of Emily Jones and dig after impressive dig by little 5'5' Deidre Shawen. All that was accomplished, however, was to force the Chaps to crank things up a couple notches. And when Westlake cranks it up a notch or two, it’s very questionable whether anyone in the state can match their overall firepower.

Louis, named the tournament’s outstanding hitter, led Westlake with 19 kills. Most of those came off the feed of Meghan Kainz, the tournament’s outstanding setter, who had 46 assists in the match. Bryant had six blocks while Kainz, Davis and Linder had five blocks each.

“It’s still very early,” Bennett said as his team celebrated behind him, “but the fact that we played as well as we played this weekend is a good sign. We know that we have to get better, of course, because everyone else is going to get better.”

Westlake, whose next big challenge will come in a couple of weeks at the Pearland tournament, advanced to the finals with a 25-23, 25-21 win over a relentless Allen team that took Westlake's best punch early and refused to go away. Martin, returning most of last year’s state semifinalist team, was forced to win two games on Saturday in order to advance to the finals. The Warriors fought off yet another solid Amarillo squad 25-21, 22-25, 25-16 then stepped up its own level of play to take out a very talented Clark team 27-25, 25-21 in the semis.

Barnes, Martin’s sophomore OH/setter, was named the tournament MVP. All weekend it seemed that whenever Martin needed a big play, it was Barnes who made it.

Clark finished third, sweeping Allen 25-20, 25-22, 25-16, in a match that featured two teams obviously shaking off the disappointment of semifinal losses. Red Oak, momentarily stunned from a first game meltdown, rebounded to spank Arlington Lamar 7-25, 25-19, 25-15, 25-18 for fifth place. San Antonio Churchill recovered from its second round loss to go undefeated the rest of the way and take down Arlington 25-19, 25-23, 25-20 for the consolation championship.

Most Valuable Player
Taylor Barnes, Arlington Martin, 6’0”, OH/S, sophomore

Outstanding Hitter
Lindsey Louis, Westlake, 6’0”, senior

Outstanding Setter
Meghan Kainz, Westlake, 6’1”, senior

All-Tournament Team
Jordan Bostic, El Paso Franklin, 5’10”, OH, senior
Nickie Thomas, Westwood, 6’3”, MB, senior
Laurie Burrow, Red Oak, 6’0”, MB, senior
Tori Dacus, Red Oak, 5’11”, OH, senior
Jessie Carvajal, Clark, 5’9”, setter, senior
KellyCargile, Lamar, 6’0”, MB, senior
Emily Jones, Martin, 6’2”, MB, junior
JJ Jones, Allen, 5’10”, setter/OH, senior
Brittany Randel, Arlington, 6’2”, MB, senior
Morgan Spencer, Churchill, 5’8”, OH, senior
Krystle Brydon, Clark, 5’10”, OH, senior
Shannon Davis, Westlake, 6’0”, MB, junior

Championship: Westlake def. Martin, 25-23, 20-25, 25-19, 25-16
Third place: Clark def. Allen, 25-20, 25-22, 25-16
Fifth place: Red Oak def. Arlington Lamar, 7-25, 25-19, 25-15, 25-18

Fifth place bracket
Red Oak def. Clements, 25-19, 25-18
Lamar def. Elkins, 25-17, 20-25, 25-23
Lamar def. Amarillo 22-25, 26-24, 25-014

Consolation: Churchill def. Arlington, 25-19, 25-23, 25-20
Consolation silver: El Paso Franklin def. Lake Highlands 25-14, 25-15, 25-16
Consolation bronze: El Paso Eastwood def. Lubbock Coronado 25-13, 21-25, 23-25, 25-23, 15-11
Consolation fifth place: Stephenville def. Tascosa, 25-14, 25-13

Consolation semifinals
Arlington def. Westwood 25-14, 20-25, 25-22
Churchill def. Waxahachie 25-17, 25-12

Other Saturday and late Friday scores
Churchill def. Stephenville 25-19, 25-17
Stephenville def. Tascosa 25-16, 25-23
Lake Highlands def. Marcus 25-17, 25-14
El Paso Franklin def. Coppell 25-21, 25-17
El Paso Franklin def. Keller 25-7, 25-18
Stephenville def. Tascosa 25-14, 25-23
Stephenville def. NB Canyon 25-15, 24-26, 25-12
Tascosa def. Pearce 25-21, 15-25, 25-13
NB Canyon def. edmond 25-12, 25-13
El Paso Eastwood def. Leander 25-21, 25-12
El Paso Eastwood def. LD Bell 25-17, 25-16
Leander def. Duncanville 25-18, 22-25, 25-15
Alvin def. Cedar Park 23-25, 25-17, 25-21
Pearce def. Keller 25-20, 22-25, 25-22
Lubbock Coronado def. Longview 25-19, 25-17
Lubbock Coronado def. Alvin 25-14, 25-20
El Paso Eastwood def. Lubbock Coronado 25-13, 21-25, 23-25, 25-23, 15-11
Westwood def. Pearce 27-25, 25-18
Arlington def. EP Franklin 25-19, 25-18
NB Canyon def. Crandall 25-20, 25-20
Waxahachie def. Coppell 27-25, 22-25, 25-11
Churchill def. Plano East 25-12, 25-23
Tascosa def. Midlothian 25-18, 25-18
Churchill def. Stephenville 25-19, 25-17

FRIDAY

Round Three
Westlake def. Lamar 25-12, 25-19
Allen def. Red Oak 25-20, 25-20
Clark def. Elkins 25-17, 25-15
Martin def. Clements 23-25, 25-18, 25-20

Round Two
Westlake def. Marcus 25-7, 25-18
Lamar def. Midlothian 25-21, 25-21
Allen def. Churchill 24-26, 25-15, 25-23
Red Oak def. Coppell25-17, 25-13
Elkins def. Arlington 25-22, 27-29, 25-23
Clark def. Clear Lake 25-22, 25-22
Amarillo def. Pearce 25-20, 25-7
Clements def. Lake Highlands 25-23, 25-21
Martin def. NB Canyon 25-21, 25-23

First Round
Westlake def. Franklin 25-13, 25-18
Marcus def. Cleburne 25-15, 22-25, 25-20
Lamar def. Edmond North 25-6, 25-20
Midlothian def. Leander 25-11, 25-23
Churchill def. Keller 25-10, 25-20
Allen def. Cedar Park 25-12, 25-10
Coppell def. Lubbock Coronado 25-20, 22-25, 26-20
Red Oak def. Westwood 25-18, 25-18
Arlington def. Longview 25-17, 25-21
Elkins def. Crandall 25-18, 26-24
Clear Lake def. Duncanville 25-19, 23-25, 25-6
Clark def. Waxahachie
Amarillo def. Plano East 26-28, 25-13, 25-17
Pearce def. Alvin 25-16, 26-28, 26-24
Lake Highlands def. Tascosa 25-17, 25-14
Clements def. LD Bell 25-16, 26-28, 25-22
NB Canyon def. Eastwood 25-16, 26-28, 25-22
Arlington Martin def. Stephenville 26-24, 25-11

Consolation bracket scores
Arlington def. Franklin 25-19, 25-18
Edmond (OK) def. Clear Lake 25-19, 25-20
Franklin def. Cleburne 25-17, 25-18
Edmond def. Leander 15-25, 25-18, 25-15
Crandall def. Longview 2515, 12-25, 26-24
Waxahachie def. Duncanville 27-25, 22-25, 25-11
Tascosa def. LD Bell 25-18, 26-24
Stephenville def. EP Eastwood 25-20, 25-20
Keller d. Cedar Park, 25-20, 25-22
Plano East d. Alvin, 20-25, 25-20, 25-18
Stephenville def. Marcus 25-17, 251-9
Tascosa def. Midlothian 25-18, 25-18