Familiar Names Top State Volleyball Finals

A Three-peat, some repeats, and a newbie squad take wins at Strahan Colliseum.

San Marcos was the sight of the Texas State Title Volleyball shootout this year. While some old hands gunned their way to the top of the heap, a few familiar faces surprised the handicappers.

In big school action, Amarillo notched up their third straight 5A title, winning tight 3-2 matches over League City and Austin Westlake.

In 1A play, Windthorst defended the title they won last year, as did Bushland in the 2A conference.

Oddsmakers were scarcely surprised at those outcomes, even if the 5A matches had them holding their breath.

But if underdogs and unknowns are your thing, then the hotly contested 3A and 4A games were the ones to watch.

Magnoilia returned to 4A state level play for the first time since 2001, only to fall to Hereford, in a 3-0 sweep. Hereford then advanced to face Highland Park, a team they had lost to twice this year. The betting was against them, to say the least, but they walked away champs with a 3-1 upset over the Scots.

In the 3A final contest, both the Lovejoy and Brownwood squads were first time entrants into the big show, and both won their semi final matches convincingly. Brownwood faltered at the last hurdle, and Lovejoy swept them 3-0 for the title.

The action as it unfolded:

Thursday, November 20, 2008
2A Semifinals
Wallis Brazos 3, Centerville 2
Bushland 3, Pottsboro 0

4A Semifinals
Highland Park 3, Austin Lake Travis 2
Hereford 3, Magnolia 0

Friday, November 21, 2008
1A Semi-Finals
Iola 3, Albany 1
Windthorst 3, Shiner 1

3A Semi-Finals
Brownwood 3, Bellville 1
Lucas Lovejoy 3, Caldwell 1

5A Semifinals
Amarillo 3, League City 2
Westlake 3, Richardson Lake Highlands 1

Saturday, November 22, 2008
1A Finals
Windthorst 3, Iola 2
Windthorst repeats for State 1A

2A Finals
Bushland 3, Brazos 1
Bushland repeats for State 2A

3A Finals
Lovejoy 3, Brownwood 0
Lovejoy takes it's first State 3A title

4A Finals
Hereford 3, Highland Park 1
Hereford takes State 4A

5A Finals
Amarillo 3, Austin Westlake 2
Amarillo three-peats for State 5A