By Thomas Jones, Sports Editor

You’ve heard of Westlake volleyball player Sara Shaw, right? A Southern Cal commit as a junior. More than five kills a game. On pace to break all kinds of records at Westlake.

And you know Elly Barrett, correct? The state’s best setter. A Cal commit who will pester Pac 10 defenses next year.

And you’ve seen Abby Howden, no? A senior with a lineage that reaches deep into the program’s past. An explosive player with almost 100 blocks and 400 kills.

All three have spent the last three seasons on Westlake’s varsity squad, and they have keyed another Chap run to the state tournament. Even with that trio’s collective talent, however, Westlake would not have overcome an explosive San Antonio Reagan squad in Saturday’s regional final without the clutch performance of several role players who stepped up in the season’s biggest moment.

But then again, that type of team play separates the squads playing at state from those in the stands. 

Recall Westlake’s final service point as an example. Senior Lauren Young, a first-year varsity player without a single career start, laced a solid serve across the net. The serve kept Reagan from finding a high-percentage shot, and the point turned into a transition battle. After several digs on each side of the net, Howden found reserve outside hitter Katie Sorenson on the left side. Unphased by the pressure and undaunted by Reagan’s big block, the first-year varsity player hammered the ball to the floor for match point and a spot at state.

After the match, Bennett marveled at the play of his bench.

“Our role players did such a good job,” he said, citing Young, Sorenson and Priscilla Leake. “We would not be back at state if they hadn’t stepped up. It’s what you want to see in a moment like this.”

Young’s stellar service game came as no surprise, considering her prowess throughout the season. She has just 28 errors in 406 serves, the lowest tally among the six players with at least 200 serves. Last weekend’s regional tournament marked a continuation of that trend as Young served 23 times in the two matches with two aces and just one service error.

The winning point wasn’t as predictable, considering Sorenson’s struggles early in the match against Reagan. She had her first two swings blocked and committed an error when trying to tip over Reagan’s tall front row. But any outside hitter must have a short memory, and Sorenson proved she possessed that trait. She had several good swings and produced a kill in the fourth game, earning the confidence of Bennett and a spot on the court during the match’s most pivotal rotation.

Perhaps the biggest revelation came from Leake, an undersized but athletic outside hitter who appeared in just 28 games this season before the regional tournament. Bennett inserted Leake into the rotation during the third game, hoping the junior’s energy and quickness on the back row could slow Reagan’s offensive assault. His intuition paid off as Leake hustled across the court, collecting nine digs and even passing off an assist during a wild scramble for a point.

You’ve heard of Shaw, Barrett and Howden. But it’ll again take names like Sorenson, Leake and Young for Westlake to win a third Class 5A championship. 

CLASS 5A VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT

Strahan Coliseum, San Marcos 

Semifinals: Amarillo vs. Clear Creek, 5 p.m. Friday; Lake Highlands vs. Westlake, 7 p.m. Friday

Finals: Saturday, 5 p.m.