PHOTO: Matthew Smith
BY BRIAN GOSSET
X – @gosset41
X – @gmsportsmedia1
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HALTOM CITY – Making its first state semifinal appearance in 12 years, the Southlake Carroll Dragons continued their storied playoff run with a decisive 25-15, 25-23, 25-15 sweep over the Tomball Cougars on Saturday from Thomas Coliseum.
Carroll (34-5) will face Austin High (41-6) in the 6A D2 title match at 6 pm Saturday Nov. 22 at Culwell Center in Garland. It’s Carroll’s first champ game appearance since 1998 and Austin’s first since 1992.
Austin completed the reverse sweep over Katy Tompkins on Saturday, 16-25, 19-25, 26-24, 25-20, 15-13.
The Dragons scored four in a row early in the opening set thanks to a kill from Kinsley Young and a block from Young and Layla Austin. Both players signed their letter to intent earlier in the week with TCU and San Diego State, respectively.
After Tomball tied it at 5, SLC went on a 6-0 run with Austin scoring on back-to-back rallies that forced a timeout by the Cougars.
The lead grew to 21-11 off the hands of Incarnate Word signee Teddy-Raye Ewers, the younger sister of former UT Longhorn and current Miami Dolphin QB Quinn Ewers. Austin, who has one of the strongest and fastest swings in the area, sent a rocket in the back row to give her team a 1-0 advantage.
Tomball, which was in the semis for the first time in program history, ends 41-7. The District 15-6A champs reached the final four after beating North Forney 3-1 in the Region 2 final on Nov. 11.
The Cougars were much more competitive in the second set, possibly getting rid of any jitters and maybe fatigue following a 3+ hour drive to the metroplex. Tomball HS and Thomas Coliseum are 238 miles apart and around 3 1/2 hours to drive.
Momentum was riding high for Tomball, with an 18-15 lead and timeout from Carroll. But it was like the stoppage sparked the Dragons. Ewers cut it to 1 with a kill off a bad Cougars’ pass. Then Austin and Charlise Smith (Texas Woman’s Univ.) posted back-to-back blocks to put SLC ahead at 20-19. Tomball tied it at 23 before committing an error on set point as the Dragons extended the lead to 2-0.
SLC led the third set 3-0, 4-1 and 7-2 with several points coming from its top two hitters in Young and Austin. Audree Hughes’ kill made it 8-4 and after it went to 10-4, Tomball had to call another timeout. Time was running out on the Cougars’ season, who hit balls in the net on back-to-back rallies to go down 15-7. Young’s kill down the middle pushed it to 17-7.
Tomball was able to score four straight to bring it back to 17-11, but SLC shut the door with 8 of the next 12 to secure the sweep and champ game berth in Garland.
