NEW BRAUNFELS — Nearly a year ago, Davenport High School walked away from the Culwell Center in Garland on top of the volleyball world.

In the months that followed, the Wolves were feted with state championship rings, a banner, recognition at a school board meeting, and probably more pats on the back and words of praise than they can count.

None of that matters now, though.

“On the back of our shirts, we have ‘nobody cares,’ ” Davenport senior libero Logan Strong said. “Obviously, that state championship really meant a lot to us, but nobody cares that we won it, and it’s an entirely new season. We have an entirely new team.”

But as Thursday night illustrated, this year’s team is on the same mission as its predecessor.

Davenport flashed its state-championship mettle when it mattered, defeating La Vernia 25-22, 25-19, 25-19 in a Class 4A Division I second-round match at Ben Hardy Gymnasium.

“This was, obviously, a big game for us,” Davenport senior middle blocker Emily Williams said. “But just making sure that we’ve been preparing for it in practice and make sure that we do our best for every game (was key).”

In a matchup of two of the state’s best, and in a contest that perhaps was better suited for a regional final, La Vernia and Davenport traded blistering kills, momentum-changing blocks and lunging digs.

Sparked by Paisley Pavliska, Avery Keck, Karis Carpenter, Elaina Couch and Mikayla Lindsey, the Bears (34-13) appeared as if they had the upper hand at the midway point of each set, only to see their opponent seize control. Davenport (37-8) used a 12-3 run to overcome a 14-10 deficit in the third set, a 7-2 surge to create a cushion after trailing 16-15 in the second frame, and an 8-1 flurry after trailing 18-14 in the first set.

Williams (14 kills), Strong, Alexis Dahl, McKaleigh Mattson, McKenzie Meyers, Katie Falcone, Michaela Worthen, Kylie Dahl, Dakota Hart and Kamrynn Williams all played key roles as the Wolves topped La Vernia for the second time this season. They also won in three sets on Sept. 6.

“We had high hopes coming into this game, and we got really hyped before the game, and we knew we were going to give it our all,” said Pavliska, a junior outside hitter and Arkansas commit who finished unofficially with 14 kills. “The emotions really kind of kept us from getting all the way. A lot of those (Davenport) girls have been to state already, so they know what it looks like, they know the competition that they have to get through, and I think that they brought it. They’re a really good team.”

Davenport, which faces Port Lavaca Calhoun in the next round, is a win from playing for another trip to the state tournament. A tough non-district schedule that included matches vs. district champions Buda Johnson, O’Connor and Pieper and playoff teams New Braunfels, Brennan and Steele, not to mention a rugged District 26-4A in which three of the four playoff qualifiers are still alive, prepared the Wolves quite well.

“I think it was just more so being humble and realizing that we’re not going to win every game, and we have stuff to work on, and if we want to get back to state there’s going to be things that we need to focus on,” said Strong, who is committed to Grand Canyon University in Arizona. “I think taking losses and learning from them has really helped us just in the long run.”

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Twitter: @sa_terrence1