From a big-picture point of view, the outcome of a high school volleyball match played on Sept. 10 perhaps shouldn’t carry a lot of weight at this point. The season wasn’t a month old back then and many teams hadn’t even started district play.

But in the aftermath of Reagan’s come-from-behind 25-21, 21-25, 19-25, 25-21, 15-12 win vs. Brennan on Tuesday in a Class 6A Division I bidistrict match at Northside Sports Gym, the impact of a contest played almost two months earlier came to the forefront.

“I can vividly remember like, ‘Guys, this is going to be important, and you need to remember what you’re capable of doing,’ ” Reagan coach Rachel Torvik said, reflecting on her squad’s 25-20, 19-25, 21-25, 25-21, 16-14 triumph vs. New Braunfels Canyon on Sept. 10. “You can’t get down in certain situations, but just go out there and play volleyball and not try to overanalyze the last play but look forward to the next play.”

Such an approach was beneficial for the Rattlers (31-12). Paced by high-flying outside hitter Mya Allen, Reagan jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the decisive fifth set, then absorbed a Brennan flurry that forged a 4-4 tie, before hanging on. Allen had five of her match-high 27 kills during the frame. Kennedy Crider and Rylee LaGrange each added two kills. Crider finished with 22 kills.

“You have to be mentally strong to be able to come back,” Allen said. “You have to depend on your teammates. The difference, I would say, is the pressure in playoffs. Knowing that if you lose, you won’t be able to play with those girls again.”

Reagan looked to be far from such a predicament when it won the opening set and grabbed a 12-4 advantage in the second. Brennan, though, made its move. Behind solid contributions from Giana Brown (12 kills, 10 blocks), Kayla Rodriguez (16 kills), Kiersten Rodriguez (4 1/2 blocks), Angel Osteguin (nine kills) and Mia Vara (27 digs), the Bears pieced together a 12-1 run, including scoring eight straight points, to gain their footing.

The teams were tied at 19 before Brennan surged ahead with a 4-0 run, sparked by Isabella Espinosa’s two aces, to even the match at 1-1. Brennan recorded five of its 16 blocks to claim the third set and move a step closer to victory.

“I don’t think there were any doubts,” said Reagan junior libero Shayne Zammiello, who had 26 digs. “You just have to try to keep the team together. Playing as individuals is not going to work in the playoffs. You have to hustle for every ball if you want to win because everyone’s wanting the same thing — to never lose.”

Torvik adjusted her lineup after the third set, moving Crider to the middle to provide a different look. The sophomore responded with three kills and two blocks.

“It’s a little bit of chess,” Torvik said after her team improved to 3-0 this season in five-set matches. “It’s a jack-butt or a genius sort of moment and, fortunately, tonight, I ended up on the genius side of it. But those are things that we’ve done throughout the season and, fortunately for me, those kids are accepting those roles and trusting the process to allow me to move them where we need them to be there.”

The Reagan-Brennan match was the nightcap of a playoff tripleheader that featured several storylines.

In the middle encounter, Clark rallied past former district rival O’Connor 19-25, 25-18, 25-21, 25-18. The Cougars avenged an earlier loss to O’Connor (37-7) at a tournament on Aug. 17. More importantly, they erased the memory of a 27-25, 17-25, 25-22, 20-25, 15-10 setback to Clemens in the same round a year ago. It was their second loss in bidistrict in three seasons.

“I think emotions are a huge part of it,” said Clark senior outside hitter Giselle Orellana, who had 10 kills and 14 digs. “Nobody likes a silent bus ride (after losing in the playoffs). Those are really awkward. This is huge for us, and I feel like we’re ready to be happy and celebrate it and have the positive energy take us to the next level.”

Clark, with solid efforts from Logan McGinnis (10 kills), Natalia Silva (nine kills, 13 digs), Liliana Brisco (20 assists), Rachel Nwankwo (six kills) and Ella Goolsby (3 blocks) used crucial spurts at the midway point of each of the final three sets to rebound after dropping the opening stanza.

Sparked by Jaylyn Tuiasosopo, Jocelyn Joyner, Madison Libson and Gabriela Hudson, O’Connor rode a 10-2 run to turn a two-point deficit into a six-point advantage. The Panthers captured the first set with a late 5-1 run after Clark closed within 20-18.

The opener of the tripleheader featured a matchup of the last two San Antonio-area schools to win the Region IV-6A championship — Harlan in 2023 and Brandeis in 2021.

Harlan sophomore Nailah Randle watched from the sidelines a year ago as her club went on a landmark run to the UIL Class 6A state tournament. Randle saw how the seniors led, either through their play or words, and knew her time would come to do the same.

The 6-foot-2 outside hitter dazzled in an extensive postseason debut, racking up an unofficial 14 kills as the Hawks began defense of their Region IV-6A crown by topping Brandeis 25-17, 25-16, 25-20 in a Class 6A Division II first-round matchup.

“It was a really good experience,” said Randle, who played in two sets during last year’s playoffs, of the run to the state tournament. “I felt like it was good for us as a team to go there. It’s definitely helped me learn to have a lot of energy and just work together as a team and just stay positive and have a good mindset.”

Randle notched seven of her kills in the opening stanza, helping Harlan (37-5) shake off a slow start. Brandeis led 4-1 before the Hawks replied with an 11-1 run to grab a 12-5 advantage. Harlan never trailed again.

Jaci Hall (13 kills, two aces), Thaila Yancey (eight kills), DaMya Mann (six kills), Isabella De La Rosa and Brooklyn Vigil (four aces) joined Randle in helping Harlan increase its winning streak to 15 and set up a second-round showdown vs. Dripping Springs at 5:30 p.m. Friday at San Marcos High School.

The teams will meet in the playoffs for the third straight year. Harlan prevailed in last year’s regional final and Dripping Springs (46-2) won in the regional semifinals in 2022.

“It’s definitely pressure, but it’s a privilege to have pressure, and it’s just having to step up to the plate and get the job done,” Randle said.

Lola Isaeff, a Texas Tech commit who was a freshman on Brandeis’ 2021 state championship squad, had a team-high 11 kills.

terrence@terrencesports.com
Twitter: @sa_terrence1