Eagle Mountain volleyball makes history: Knights take home 4A Division II title
The Fort Worth Eagle Mountain volleyball team accomplished an incredible task by reaching the state championship game in only its second season of existence. Problem was that volleyball juggernaut and defending Class 4A Division II champion Wimberley was waiting on the other side of the net.
The Knights made it look like they were the defending champions, as Eagle Mountain came away with a 25-15, 25-20, 22-25, 25-18 win in the Class 4A Division II state championship Friday at the Curtis Culwell Center.
It was a historic feat for the city of Fort Worth, being the first time a volleyball team from within the city limits has even played in a championship game. The same goes for the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District.
“It never gets old,” said Eagle Mountain coach Catherine Foerster, who won state titles in 2020 and 2021 at Decatur as a coach and won two state titles in 1999 and 2001 as a player at Hereford. “As I’ve gotten older and more mature, more wise and maybe a little better, you start to realize how hard it actually is to make all of this come together. It seems like everything just fell into place, and with this group, building from ground zero, has just been something special.”
Eagle Mountain (38-11) had dropped only one set since district play started and had swept each opponent throughout the playoffs, but when Wimberley won the third set from the Knights, whispers of the Texans’ reverse sweep — dropping the first two sets and winning the last three — in the championship game last season against Amarillo Randall were being heard.
“No way that was going to happen,” said Eagle Mountain setter and championship game MVP Molly Aubert, a junior, who had 44 assists, 12 digs and four service aces. “We’ve swept everyone throughout the playoffs, so I think in that one set that we just didn’t work hard enough. We talked about it between the third and fourth sets and was like, we only have 25 more points to win a state championship.
“We got that big lead in the fourth set, and we just put the hammer down. We weren’t going to lose, and we weren’t going to five sets.”
Four Knight hitters reached double digits in kills, led by Nebraska commit Keoni Williams with 13. Madie Haney had 12, Texas A&M commit Brooke Lacewell had 11 and Rylinn Roberts finished with 10.
“I’m super grateful, because I know I couldn’t have done it without all of my hitters,” Aubert said. “I feel like I can just throw a ball up there, good or bad, and they’ll get a kill. I just have so many hitters that can do everything around the court.”
The Eagle Mountain outside hitters were just as glowing about their setter.
“I’m really grateful that I’ve had such a good connection with Molly this year,” Lacewell said. “Even in a hard moment I know that she’s going to put up a good ball for me. The setter-hitter connection is really important, and I’m glad that I’ve had that with her this year.”
“Any ball, even if it’s tight, even if it’s off, she’s going to push the ball from behind the 10-foot line and get it to me,” Williams said of Aubert. “It was definitely a big blessing. I’ve told everyone all year that I’m not going to Nebraska empty-handed, and now I’m not.”
Wimberley (46-5), was making its 12th appearance in the final four and has won seven state titles since 1998. Eagle Mountain lost in the third round in its volleyball debut in 2024, a team without any seniors.
“People ask me why I came to Eagle Mountain and, one, it was these kids sitting beside me,” said Foerster, who corrected everyone saying that it wasn’t two years, it’s been 15 months. “Two, it was the opportunity to build something from the ground up. I’m so thankful for this team.
“For us to be able to do this speaks volumes of their work ethic, skill and talent. We’re talented, but we’re real disciplined, and we work really hard.”
CLASS 4A DIVISION I
Decatur d. La Vernia, 19-25, 25-20, 25-18, 26-24
If the Decatur volleyball team reaches the state championship game, the Eagles will win it. At least that’s the way it’s been in all seven times its happened.
La Vernia pushed the Eagles, but Decatur defended its Class 4A Division I title by rallying from a set down to down the Bears.
Decatur (42-7) was making its seventh trip to the state final four, with championships in all six previous appearances, all coming in the past 13 years. The Eagles won it all in 2013, 2014, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2024 and now 2025.
Sophomore outside hitter Ava Green led the way for Decatur with 18 kills and two blocks to earn championship game MVP honors. Eagle setter Grace Fortune, a McMurry University commit, had 40 assists in the match to go along with 11 digs and two service aces.
Decatur graduated nine players off of the 2024 state championship team, and only three members of this year’s team played in that match, to make the Eagles’ feat even more remarkable. La Vernia (43-10) was making its first appearce at state in volleyball.
CLASS 3A DIVISION II
Boyd d. Clifton, 25-23, 25-21, 25-10
The Boyd Lady Jackets won their first-ever state volleyball championship with a sweep over Clifton in the final game of head coach Clark Oberle’s long and distinguished career.
Boyd (36-6) reached the title game a year ago, but fell to Stockdale, and also reached the final four in 2017 and 2018. Clifton’s stellar season ends at 42-7.
Oberle finishes with 798 career wins and captured his third state title with his third team. Oberle coached for 32 seasons, four at Boyd, and also won titles with Argyle and Decatur.
The Jackets were led by championship game MVP Addy Delgado, a Hardin-Simmons commit, who had 15 kills and 10 digs. Seniors Bryleigh Wallace, who had 28 digs and four service aces, and Annabelle Nichter are both headed to East Central Oklahoma.
This story was originally published November 21, 2025 at 11:17 PM.