Keller, Colleyville Heritage punch their tickets to UIL volleyball state tournament
Last season, the Keller volleyball team made history with its first trip to the UIL state tournament. The Indians would be Class 6A state runner-up after dropping a five-set match in the title game against San Antonio Brandeis.
Even with a new head coach and some key injuries throughout this season, the Indians came into Saturday’s 6A Region 1 final looking to knock off District 5-6A champ Prosper.
Keller came out flat with a convincing loss in the first set, but the Indians rebounded in a big way to take down the Eagles, 20-25, 25-13, 25-12, 25-21 at Thomas Coliseum.
Keller improves to 33-11 and advances to a state semifinal game at 5 or 7 p.m. on Friday at Garland’s Culwell Center.
“Oh my gosh. It’s insane. We’ve been working so hard and everything has paid off. We really wanted it,” Keller senior setter Taylor Polivka said. “Just knowing the feeling last year, winning this game and going to state.”
Polivka, a Miami signee, had 46 assists and was named regional tournament MVP.
“It’s so crazy. I feel like honored and thankful. It’s amazing,” Polivka said.
Prosper (39-8), at the regional tourney for the first time since 2019, paced the game early in the first set. After holding down a three to four point cushion during the first half, Keller cut it to 14-13. Then the Eagles turned up the heat. Keller had to use both timeouts in a short stretch as Prosper used a 6-1 run to go up 20-14.
Keller got within 24-20 before an error sent Prosper to a 1-0 lead.
But the Indians looked far different in the second and third sets, getting timely assists from Polivka, big blocks from USC signee Leah Ford and Brooklyn Harter and key kills from Reagan Sharp, Anna Flores and Carley Wright.
Keller’s first lead of the day was 5-4 in the second and the Indians took it and ran with it. A big kill from Sharp put Keller ahead 10-5 and forced the Eagles to call a timeout. Sharp had a massive block and Polivka and Ford scored to push it to 18-11. Flores went off the block and after Prosper called a second timeout, Flores finished it with a kill in the back row to tie the match.
“When we switched sides, I just told them this is exactly how it went against Southlake in the third round. They came out in the first set and destroyed us and we turned it around,” Keller coach Danielle Barker said. “This was the same thing, same situation and that set doesn’t exist anymore. It’s a new game and they really took that to heart. They came out brand new and changed, and really executed the plan.”
Keller rolled in the third set and got a kill from Ford to go up 2-1.
A Ford block put Keller on top 7-4 in the fourth set. Prosper scored three straight to tie it at 7. Six of the next eight points went to Keller, capped by a Sharp kill on the left side.
Harter put up a big block and Keller was holding on at 15-12. Harter scored again and Keller went three in a row for a 19-15 lead. The Indians called a timeout when Prosper pulled within 20-18.
Sharp got back-to-back kills and Prosper couldn’t recover. Sharp led the team with 17 kills followed by Flores (11), Ford (10), Harter (10) and Wright (8). Keller hit 0.281 led by Ford’s 0.500 on 18 attempts.
Sharp and Kea Whillock made the all-regional team.
Whillock had a team-high 29 digs.
“Reagan has had an incredible season. She’s really matured in her mindset and I think it’s a complete 180 from last year,” Barker said. “It’s really exciting to see her grow into that big hitter for us.”
Barker, who came to Keller this year from Flower Mound Marcus, will go to state for the first time as a head coach. She won multiple state titles as a player with Amarillo. Her mom Jan won a ton of state titles at Amarillo while sister Brianne, who’s at Byron Nelson, has won state as a player, assistant and most recently as a head coach with the Bobcats in 2019.
“As a player, that was such an incredible experience and I’ve missed it so much,” Barker said. “I just can’t wait to get back on that stage and be filled with that adrenaline rush that you always feel there.”
Colleyville Heritage d. Birdville 3-0
Meeting for the third time this season, district mates Heritage and Birdville played in the 5A Region 1 final on Saturday at Lubbock Coronado. For the third time, Heritage defeated Birdville, this one 25-15, 25-20, 25-17 to clinch a state berth for the first time in program history.
The Panthers (41-7) will play in a 5A state semifinal game at 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. on Friday at the Culwell Center.
The Hawks ended the season at 27-22 with their second trip to the regional final, first since 2018, all with Whitney Woody, who’s in her first year with the program.
Heritage, which beat Lubbock-Cooper on Friday, got a double-double from Suli Davis with 18 kills and 11 digs. Houston signee Ella Busey added 17 kills and four aces.
Maddie Bird chipped in seven kills and ULM signee Morgan Howard put in 45 assists and 10 digs. Ava Ash chipped in a team-high 13 digs and Air Force signee Reagan Engler added seven kills.
