The outcome of the match hung in the balance. The score was tied at 13 in the fifth and decisive set, and the Harlan High School volleyball team had a chance to clear a recent hurdle and make its furthest postseason venture in program history.

Everyone at the Alamo Convocation Center that Friday night a week ago — fans, spectators, teammates and opposing players — could feel the tension of the pressure-packed moment. They also expected the ball to go to senior outside hitter Aniya Joseph, who leads the team with more than 500 kills.

Sophomore setter DaMya Mann instead pushed the ball to sophomore outside hitter Jaci Hall, who placed a shot into the back right corner. The Hawks won the point and the Region IV-6A semifinal match vs. nationally ranked Austin Lake Travis.

Mann’s set easily could have gone to Karrington Crawford, Thaila Yancey or Morgan Ritchie.

“I told them sometimes you get teams that have one or two hitters that are your go-to,” Harlan coach Monica Gonzales said. “We obviously have a couple that are our go-to, but we’re very much a widespread type of offense. We can give the ball to whomever and I don’t cringe. It’s definitely a pleasure to have that, whether it’s an outside, a middle, or right-side.”

The depth, variety and potency in their offense is a key reason why Harlan qualified for the UIL Class 6A state tournament for the first time. The Hawks (44-5) take on Katy Cinco Ranch (37-5) at 7 p.m. Friday at Culwell Center in Garland.

It will be the second meeting this season between the teams. Harlan prevailed 25-16, 25-18 on Aug. 26 at the Leander Volleypalooza.

“I think tournament season’s almost a little bit of a blur because you’re going three games this day, three games this day,” Gonzales said. “Everybody’s better in November. But I tell everybody we’ve got to make sure we’re taking care of what’s on our side of the court.”

For Harlan, that begins with its attacking. The Hawks are hitting .278 on the season and have had one match in which they hit .500 or better, five when they hit .400 or better and 17 when they hit at least .300.

“I feel like it’s rewarding to know wherever I put a ball, I know that they can put it away,” Harlan junior setter Isabella De La Rosa said. “I don’t have to focus on one person. I can distribute the ball everywhere and rely on my hitters to put it down.”

The spread-the-wealth approach has paid off. Joseph, who signed with defending NCAA Division II national champion West Texas A&M, has 527 kills and a .338 hitting percentage. Mann, who plays setter and middle hitter, has 311 kills. Yancey, a junior, has 273 kills, Hall has 254 kills and Ritchie has 198.

“We definitely have the most (attacking options) that we’ve ever had,” said Crawford, who signed with Texas A&M-Kingsville. “I feel like it’s good for everybody because nobody gets worn out too fast and everyone has opportunities.”

Harlan’s attacking prowess has had a far-reaching impact. The defense has benefitted from facing its offense daily during practice.

“I feel like those players that are against me in practice help me so much because they’re obviously some of the best hitters in the state, and we’re facing that type of competition, and they hit harder than anyone I know,” Harlan junior libero Brooklyn Vigil said. “I feel like we have more people that have different options and can run different things and that helps me get to learn the game more.”

The genesis behind Harlan’s powerful and punishing attack didn’t occur overnight. During Gonzales’ six seasons at the helm, she has had her fair share of hitters — Ayanna Jackson, Kiana Fallaha and Mikaela Garvin — but this year’s group might be her best.

Joseph arrived at Harlan in the summer of 2022, moving from Hobbs, New Mexico. She was a standout player in New Mexico but was worried how that would translate in Texas, which is the No. 1 state in the nation in terms of producing college talent.

The moment came at a match Joseph admits she doesn’t remember the opponent, date or occasion. She just recalls it was a tightly contested match, and her team wasn’t playing up to its ability.

“I’m just too competitive to stay quiet,” Joseph said. “I think once I got comfortable with the team, then I finally felt I wasn’t holding myself back anymore. I wasn’t afraid to make mistakes. I started playing and doing what I love and it all came together.”

Harlan hasn’t looked back from the moment, getting better and better and more successful with each passing week and month. Hall truly noticed as much during the summer.

“I realized, ‘Wow, we have a pretty good team,’ ” she said. “We have a lot of people who are going to come in and kill the ball. I feel like we’re the type of team to feed off each other’s energy, so once one person got a huge kill, that led to the other.”

The chemistry now has the Hawks on the doorstep of claiming a state championship.

“This year, I feel like we all truly developed and connected more,” Ritchie said. “Everybody can fulfill a great amount.
It’s really exciting because I know that we have a bunch of people who can just go out there and play. It gives me great hope, and I’m really glad to be a part of a team like this.”

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