Grand Oaks received a test from Bridgeland in its Region II-6A quarterfinal Tuesday at the Berry Center.
The Bears have been where the Grizzlies want to be, reaching the state tournament in 2021 and last year’s regional final. Bridgeland cut short Grand Oaks’ run with a five-set area victory along the way.
The Grizzlies won the rematch, rallying in set two and closing a tense third set for a 25-20, 25-22, 26-24 victory. Grand Oaks (46-1) advances to the Region II-6A tournament for the first time.
“It really feels good,” Grand Oaks coach Morgan Rogers said. “Last year was kind of a throat punch for all of us, so we’ve kind of had this on our calendars. It was really cool to see them work through, not their cleanest match, and Bridgeland played lights out and made our offense work. To see them play through those tense moments when we were behind or they were making their comebacks, I was really happy to see that.”
Halle Thompson led the Grand Oaks attack with 15 kills, adding 10 digs, while Jaela Auguste recorded 10 kills and seven blocks. Samara Coleman (12 kills, seven digs) and Caelyn Emmerling (five kills) helped the Grizzlies overcome some stretches of errors.
Audrey Terry (23 assists) and Samantha Sampson (17 assists) directed an effective offense, while Cali Reece made 15 digs.
While Grand Oaks pushed its winning streak to 20 and has not lost a set since August, the regional quarterfinal provided a breakthrough victory.
“My team hasn’t made it this far in Grand Oaks history, and I’m very proud of everyone,” Auguste said. “Everyone has been doing their job correctly, and we’ve just been giving it our all every day. I just appreciate everyone, and it feels amazing.”
Grand Oaks took control at the net early, using blocks by Auguste and Jonaida Donowa, who added an ace, to pull ahead 17-9. Errors delayed the set clincher, but Emmerling spiked it home.
“Blocking was huge, especially in that first set,” Rogers said. “Our blockers were on it. Second and third, we got tooled a little bit on our block, but I think that’s always a factor for another team’s offense, knowing that our block can be such a big factor in a match. They did a great job setting that tone early. We got to clean some things up, but I was proud to see that early on.”
The Grizzlies trailed 4-1 early and 14-8 later in set two, with Bridgeland (30-13) navigating the block behind Raylee Schaffner and Amelia Creacy, as well as Rabekah Pfefferkorn and Nylah Gray, who tied for the team-lead with 10 kills.
But Auguste and Coleman sparked a 5-0 run and a kill by Thompson put Grand Oaks ahead for good 22-21, punctuated by a block from Auguste and Emmerling.
Neither side could get much distance in the third until a 6-1 run led to a 16-11 lead. Coleman delivered a back row rocket for one point, while Thompson served an ace.
Bridgeland did not go quietly, as two kills by Gray and a solo block from Emily Greer built momentum. Consecutive kills by Pfefferkorn and Creacy averted match point, but a Thompson kill set up Terry’s clinching ace just inside the back line.
Grand Oaks had not allowed more than 20 points in a set in its previous playoff victories, but still did not let one go.
“I feel like I thrive off of intensity,” Auguste said. “I feel like when it’s boring, it’s not fun, but when it’s intense like this, the atmosphere is amazing to play in.”
Bridgeland closed another successful season, including playoff sweeps of Tomball and Oak Ridge.
The Bears were led in assists by Lauren Baek’s 27, with Grace Wegenke adding 10. Alice Volpe and Gabi Juarez combined for 15 digs.
Grand Oaks seeks its next unprecedented victory, traveling to Lufkin for the Region II-6A tournament. The Grizzlies were set to play District 9-6A champion Sachse or 10-6A champion Rockwall.
“I feel like we’re prepared,” Auguste said. “We’ve been working hard every day, and there’s no doubt in my mind we can take it as far as we would like to take it.”
