Grapevine’s magical run to state ends in volleyball final against defending champ Lovejoy
Grapevine lost the first two sets in two previous playoff games, including Friday night’s UIL Class 5A state semifinal.
It happened again in Saturday’s 5A championship, but the Mustangs’ luck ran out against the best volleyball school in DFW.
The Mustangs magical run to state ended in a three-game sweep against Lucas Lovejoy, 19-25, 15-25, 20-25 at the Culwell Center. Grapevine (22-18) reached the state tournament in back-to-back seasons with its first state championship appearance on Saturday.
Lovejoy (42-6), which hasn’t been open 20 years, has won three straight volleyball state titles and nine overall.
“Super proud of my kids. They battled and played some good volleyball today. It didn’t turn our way and that’s okay. I feel like we were ready and prepared and came in with a game plan,” Grapevine coach Robyn Wallace said. “There were parts of it we didn’t execute, but that happens in every match.”
The first and third sets were the most competitive as Missouri bound hitter Janet deMarrais got a kill from the back row and Grapevine led 8-7. Alea Lastinger and Ava Shankle picked up points to keep Grapevine in front.
Lovejoy would score four straight capped off with a Hannah Gonzalez block. Both teams traded points until the Leopards had their biggest lead at 17-13. Baylor signee Averi Carlson, who was voted state championship game MVP, helped pace Lovejoy and Gonzalez’s block and kill gave the Leopards the win.
The second set was competitive, but early on. When Grapevine pulled within 10-9, the Leopards responded with five straight and an 8-2 run. Grapevine made it 20-13 and Lovejoy scored the final five to pick up another set.
Grapevine did start better in the third set with a 6-3 edge that forced Lovejoy into a rare timeout. But behind Rosemary Archer, the Leopards scored three in a row and 5 of 6. The run picked up to 8-2 before Lastinger tied it at 11-11. deMarrais had back-to-back kills to push Grapevine ahead 14-11 and Lovejoy answered with a 5-0 run, and the Leopards finished out the set for the championship.
In her final high school game, 4-year starter deMarrais finished with a team-high 12 kills to go with eight digs. Lastinger added six kills and Mikayla Ethridge and Ella Davis combined for 22 assists and 18 digs. Sydney Engel had a team-high 19 digs.
Carlson had a triple-double with 10 kills, 10 digs and 16 assists, and hit 0.474 for Lovejoy. Archer added 15 assists, five digs and seven kills. Ava Camacho, McKenna Brand and Brooklyn Lloyd combined for 47 of the team’s 68 digs.
“We didn’t play poorly. The second set wasn’t our best set probably ever, but we didn’t play poorly,” Wallace said. “We were fighting all the way until the game was over. We were never going to lay down and give it to them.”
Grapevine might not have reached Saturday’s final if not for a few playoff comebacks. The Mustangs were down 2-0 in the first round against Wichita Falls Rider and 2-0 against New Braunfels Canyon on Friday. The Mustangs finished third in district and were the underdogs in all seven playoff games as they were the lower seed every time.
“We’re not disappointed. We would have liked to win, but we’re not going home and kicking rocks. We had a great season,” Wallace said. “We were 5-12 and to come out and finish the season...it might say 22-18, but man, we played 6-1 in the playoffs. That’s pretty damn good if you ask me.”
This story was originally published November 20, 2021 at 6:15 PM.
