Monica Gonzales made her way through a door on the lower level of Paul Taylor Field House. She walked down a hallway and through another door, this one leading outside to some stairs and a parking lot.

It was a post-match journey that Gonzales, Harlan High School’s head volleyball coach, has made plenty of times during the previous five seasons. But something about the vibe of this trek felt different.

When Gonzales first made this expedition five years ago, she was trying to get a new program off the ground. On Tuesday, the Hawks appeared ready to soar to great heights.

Harlan toppled O’Connor 25-17, 25-17, 21-25, 25-18 in a District 29-6A showdown. O’Connor (14-14, 1-1) had a 51-match district winning streak snapped, suffering its first league loss since a 26-24, 25-17, 25-22 setback to Clark on Oct. 22, 2019. It is the eighth-longest district winning streak in area history.

“I know we look to November, but we’re worry about the next game,” said Gonzales, who has led the Hawks to the Region IV-6A tournament in each of the past three seasons. “We try not to look too far ahead. It helps when you have that core group that comes back and they know the expectation, they’ve been hungry, and they want to get there again.”

Based on Tuesday, Harlan (24-5 overall, 2-0 in district) looked prime for another deep playoff run. Riding a tall, athletic arsenal of attackers and blockers, the Hawks started and closed strong, bouncing back from a third-set loss.

“Our goal is to go past (regional semifinals) and get as far as we can,” Harlan junior libero Brooklyn Vigil said. “I think if we just stay disciplined and do what coach is telling us every day in practice, and work hard and keep doing what we’re doing, I think it’s going to pay off.”

Aniya Joseph led the way with 16 kills, 20 digs and two aces. Thaila Yancey added nine kills and Jaci Hall tallied eight. Setter DaMya Mann notched eight kills, 21 assists, 18 digs and 2 1/2 blocks. Morgan Ritchie contributed five of her team’s 11 blocks. The five players were on last year’s squad that fell in the regional semifinals in four sets to eventual state champion Dripping Springs.

“I think overall it just gave us confidence and it gave us the mindset,” said Joseph, a 6-foot outside hitter who is committed to defending NCAA Division II champion West Texas A&M. “We knew walking into preseason that we were going to be working to go to that state championship.”

While Harlan is trying to get to the state tournament for the first time, Brandeis is aiming for a return trip.

In 2021, with Division I signees Jalyn Gibson, Carlee Pharris, Emma Halstead and Leila Smalls leading the way, the Broncos captured the UIL Class 6A state championship by outlasting Keller in five sets at the Culwell Center in Garland.

Austin Smoak, Lola Isaeff, Sophia Kuyn and Samantha Valadez are holdovers who received meaningful playing time during the title run. The foursome was integral in the Broncos’ 25-16, 25-13, 25-19 win over LEE (17-6, 1-1), which had a nine-match winning streak halted and was coming off winning the Southwest ISD tournament.

“The bar was raised very high after winning state, but you’ve got to keep going,” said Valadez, a senior setter who had 36 assists. “It’s not just, ‘Oh, we’re going to get first in district.’ No, it’s we’re going to get back to the state championship game.’

Brandeis (18-10, 2-0) never trailed in the contest as Isaeff had a match-high 12 kills. Smoak and Daniela Guerra-Acuna each had 11 kills apiece. Kuyn, who is pledged to Fordham, had six kills and a .462 hitting percentage. Libero Lola Davila, a Texas Tech commit, chipped in 18 digs.

terrence@terrencesports.com
Twitter: @sa_terrence1