Favorite
San Antonio Reagan (41-1, No. 1): Rattlers are hungry to avenge back-to-back losses to Westlake in the regional finals, and they have the necessary firepower. They have beaten top contenders O’Connor and Westlake; their lone loss came in Pearland tournament to rugged Richardson Pearce.

Other contenders
San Antonio O’Connor (36-3, No. 4): Balanced squad has the tools needed for a long run, but the Panthers haven’t been able to win the big one: this season, they were swept by Westlake and dropped a five-game thriller in the season opener against Reagan.

Westlake (33-6, No. 5): To paraphrase Rudy Tomjanovich, don’t underestimate the heart of a champion. Chaps were supposed to fall to Reagan a year ago but didn’t, so another trip to state wouldn’t surprise. Reagan did sweep Westlake twice this year, but neither match included Westlake’s Sara Shaw.

Dark horses
Bowie (30-14, No. 19): Bulldogs have good coaching (Jason Landers) and youthful talent (Cassidy Vaughn). In addition, they’ve tested themselves against a brutal schedule that included Westlake, Reagan, Lake Travis and O’Connor, among others.

Harlingen South (32-1, No. 21): The best team to come out of the Valley in years, the Hawks play tenacious defense and bring some heavy swings not often seen this far south. Schedule is weak, however; South hasn’t come north of the Valley all season.

San Antonio East Central (27-10, No. 23): After a rugged nondistrict schedule, the Hornets got hot while winning District 27-5A. An athletic team, EC has lost twice in the last six weeks.

San Antonio Churchill (31-10, No. 25): Venerable Charger program may no longer own the Alamo City, but they have plenty of pride. And any team that gets into the playoffs from 26-5A can’t be overlooked.

Regional players to watch
Kayla Keller, OH, Reagan: Versatile athlete leads team in kills, aces, digs.

Preslie Alexander, MB, Reagan: Physical presence at net and emotional leader for Rattlers.

Deveney Wells-Gibson, OH, Churchill: Led District 26-5A in kills per game; also plays D with 79 blocks, 458 digs.

Sara Shaw, OH, Westlake: Dominant and experienced, team captain led Chaps in kills, aces per game.

Kalen Valdez, OH, O’Connor: Led balanced Panthers with 385 kills.

Emily Maravits, S, East Central: Led city in assists with 9.85 per game.