HS Volleyball Playoffs: District 13-6A area round update

THE WOODLANDS, TX --

Monday, 11/23

Klein 3, Grand Oaks 0

The Bearkats won 25-17, 25-19, 25-18.

The Grizzlies are a good team that simply ran into a great team. Klein is the state’s number one team and nationally ranked for a reason, and it showed on Monday night. Grand Oaks got off to a nice start, but it didn’t take long for Klein’s talent and playoff experience to kick in and take control of the match. To the Grizzlies’ credit, they did a great job of weathering an early storm and not letting the match get out of hand. Grand Oaks even cut Klein’s lead to just one late in the opening set to make things interesting, but Klein is just too strong to rely on late comebacks and the Bearkats hit another gear to win the set.

Set two might’ve been Grand Oaks’ best punch. Against many teams, the Grizzlies would’ve dominated the set, but Klein is built differently. Grand Oaks led 11-4 early in the set, but Klein’s talent combined with the energy provided by the home fans helped the Bearkats roar back to win the set.

Klein was in control for all of set three, but the positive thing for Grand Oaks is the team’s effort. The Grizzlies continued to battle and make impressive plays all the way to the end. 2020 was year one at the 6A level for Grand Oaks, the early test against the state’s best team will only make this program better moving forward.

Grand Oaks finished the season with an 18-6 overall record and 7-3 in District 13-6A.

Tuesday, 11/24

Klein Cain 3, College Park 0

The Hurricanes won 25-13, 25-20, 25-22.

When you’re playing on the road, starting strong and taking the air out of the home arena is crucial to increasing your chances of coming away with a win. College Park was unable to do that and their shaky start to the match allowed a strong team to feed off the energy of their home fans and cruise to the set one win. Compared to the rest of the match, set one was an outlier, but they count the same on the scoreboard.

The Cavaliers improved as the match went on. In set two, there were flashes of success, but Klein Cain did a good job of stopping CP before they could put together game-changing points swings. College Park found their second wind in the third set and it made things very interesting. The Cavaliers played their best volleyball of the night, and at one point, led 17-12. Klein Cain battled back and forced the Cavs to take a timeout after the lead shrunk to 21-19. The Hurricanes were just slightly better coming out of the break and completed the comeback to win the match.

College Park finished with a 10-14 record overall and 4-6 in District 13-6A.

The Woodlands 3, Cypress Ranch 0

The Highlanders won 25-17, 25-23, 25-18.

Caroline Ristroph and Claire Arend led the team with nine kills each in the win. Jacqueline Lee continues to a dangerous server as she led the team with 5 aces. The Woodlands advances to the Regional Quarterfinals where they will face Klein Cain.

The Highlanders improve to 22-3 overall this season.

Bridgeland 3, Oak Ridge 2

The War Eagles fell short in a competitive five-set thriller with a Bridgeland team who are just outside the state’s top 25. Oak Ridge finished with a 19-5 overall record and 7-3 in District 13-6A.