The crowd at Littleton Gym was dispersing. Outside the facility, a gloomy sky and drizzle awaited. Celebratory music, meanwhile, played over the sound system.

At one end of the court, players and the coach from the winning team did media interviews, made social media videos and interacted with family, friends and spectators.

Davenport High School senior libero Dakota Hart, her eyes stained from brushed-away tears, knew such a thrill of victory. Now, she and her teammates were enduring the agony of a defeat.

“Winning state my freshman year was one of the best feelings ever, and I wanted everyone else on our team to feel the same way,” Hart said.

One step away from making that prospect a reality, the Wolves ran into a red-clad tour de force. Salado’s Mazzy Johnson and Naomi Niu combined for 34 kills to headline a powerful display of attacking and guide their team past Davenport 25-12, 25-16, 25-15 Saturday in the UIL Class 4A Division I state semifinals.

Salado (44-6), which was in the state semifinals for the fourth straight season, is headed to its first state final. The Eagles will face two-time defending state champion Decatur at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland.

Davenport’s bid for a second appearance in a state final in the past four seasons, and the first since winning the top prize in 2023, unraveled virtually from the start. Salado’s Presley Ortega opened the contest with an ace, and the Eagles never relinquished the momentum. They led by 12 points at one point in the opening set, by nine in the second frame, and by 11 in the third stanza.

Davenport (35-12) led only twice in the match — 1-0 and 2-1 in the second set.

“Some of us didn’t know how to handle the situation,” Davenport junior defensive specialist Tenley Hamlin said. “We haven’t really been put in a situation like this. I think we’re used to being in system. Not being in system definitely affected our play.”

Salado’s balanced and up-tempo attack compounded the fact that the Wolves were out of sorts. Johnson had 19 kills, Niu tallied 15 kills, and Ayvah Smith totaled four kills and five aces. Setter Charli Niu, who is committed to Indiana University, and Kaylee Bragg also provided strong contributions.

“We haven’t played a team that’s this aggressive in a while, and I think it kind of surprised us,” said Hart, who in her four seasons on varsity helped Davenport to more than 150 wins, a state title, two state semifinals and a five-set loss in the second round to a team (La Vernia) that went on to play in the state final. “We didn’t know how to react to it until it was too late.
We’ve been playing so well through the playoffs. Today was just not our day. I definitely think we could’ve competed a little harder — and that’s on us.”

Such are the expectations now for the Wolves, where a team that next year could return up to 16 players off a squad that was one win from playing in the final match of the season, sounded as if it finished with a losing record.

“We didn’t play our best volleyball tonight, obviously, but at the same time, when I walked in that locker room, I wanted those girls to know, ‘You should be proud of this,’ ” Davenport coach Taylour Toso said. “There are a ton of people who never even get to see, touch, or be around one of these. Was it the medal we wanted? No. But be proud of what you’ve done. I don’t want it to be something that they ever take for granted. I told all my kids, I hope they took a mental picture of Salado grabbing that ticket (signifying earning a berth to the state final), because it’s not something I want them to have to feel again.”

terrence@terrencesports.com
X: @sa_terrence1