Tag: UIL state semifinals

FORT WORTH

Eagle Mountain, Southlake Carroll and Byron Nelson competed in UIL state semifinal matches. Here is a roundup of the action.

Eagle Mountain makes history for Fort Worth

Ahead of a UIL high school volleyball Class 4A Division II state semifinal on Saturday at Wilkerson-Greines, Eagle Mountain Volleyball had already made history for Fort Worth.

The Knights, in their second year since Eagle Mountain High School’s opening, were the first team from the city of Fort Worth to play in a UIL volleyball state semifinal since Castleberry in 1977. Eagle Mountain is within Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD with a Fort Worth address.

The Knights weren’t satisfied, becoming the first school from Fort Worth to make a UIL volleyball state championship appearance. Eagle Mountain made quick work of Springhill in a three set sweep (25-15, 25-8, 25-17).

Eagle Mountain will face Wimberely at 6 p.m. Friday at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland.

“We’ve really mentally refocused,” Eagle Mountain head coach Catherine Foerster said. “We’re just really focused on attacking all the time. And mentally growing.”

Before becoming Eagle Mountain’s first head coach, Foerster led Decatur to Class 4A state championships in 2020 and 2021. She said making a state title game is special anywhere, but mentioned Eagle Mountain’s relative youth and Fort Worth’s lack of state championship contenders creating a “brand new” feeling.

“We’re 15 months in,” Forester said. “Just making sure that we’re enjoying this moment, and understanding all the hard work it took for us to get here.”

Although surrounding suburbs have seen success, there have been only three total state semifinal appearances from schools in Fort Worth (Castleberry 1977, Castleberry 1976 and Boswell 1970). Eagle Mountain is the first of the bunch to advance to the state championship, although the team are playing in different formats; in 2024, the UIL adopted split division rules, splitting classifications into two brackets.

Against Springhill, Eagle Mountain seniors Keoni Williams and Brooke Lacewell led the way, combing for 22 kills. Williams had 8 blocks whole Lacewell had 12 digs.

How did the Knights rise to the top of Class 4A volleyball in only two seasons? Foerster credited the athletes for helping build a culture of discipline and hard work while maintaining a focus on limiting errors and executing plays.

Byron Nelson wins 77th straight

Byron Nelson volley is one win away from a perfect season and back-to-back state titles.

The Bobcats swept Cypress Ranch (25-19, 25-23, 25-16) to advance to the Class 6A Division I state championship. Byron Nelson (41-0) will face Dawson or O’Connor at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland.

In 2024, Nelson won in the division II bracket, failing to drop a set throughout the entire postseason. In the 2025 playoffs, the Bobcats dropped one set in the bi-district round to Mansfield Lake Ridge; it was one of four sets lost on the season.

Byron Nelson, Max Preps’ No. 1 ranked team in the nation, will look to win its third state title. The program’s last loss came on Aug. 18, 2024, in a three-set tournament game against Highland Park.

Southlake Carroll sweeps Tomball

For the first time since 1998, Southlake Carroll volleyball is heading back to a state championship game.

In their third state semifinal appearance in program history, the Dragons swept Tomball (25-15, 25-23, 25-15) in the UIL’s Class 6A Division II bracket.

The Dragons will face either Austin High School (41-6) in the state championship at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland. Carroll has never won a volleyball state title, per UIL records.

Carroll (34-5) finished second in District 4-6A play behind national powerhouse Byron Nelson. One key player is middle blocker Kinsley Young, a TCU Volleyball signee. She leads the team in blocks, entering the semifinal with 106.

This story was originally published November 15, 2025 at 2:54 PM.