For the first time in more than a decade, the Carroll Lady Dragons are headed back to the UIL state championship match. And they got there in dominant, determined fashion.
Carroll swept Tomball on Saturday at W.G. Thomas Coliseum, 25–15, 25–23, 25–15, earning a spot in the Class 6A Division II State Championship. The title match is set for Saturday, Nov. 22 at 6 p.m. at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, where the Lady Dragons will face Austin High. Austin advanced after a dramatic five-set rally over Katy Tompkins in the other semi-final bracket, improving to 41–6 on the season.
For Carroll, this long-awaited moment has been years in the making. The program had not reached the state tournament since 2013, and its only previous appearance in a state title match came back in 1998, when the school fell to Dumas in the 4A final. Saturday’s sweep rewrites that history and sets the stage for a chance at redemption more than a quarter-century later.
The Lady Dragons wasted no time asserting control in Saturday's opening set. Behind the firepower of Kinsley Young (12 kills, 3 digs, 3 blocks) and Layla Austin (12 kills, 11 digs, 2 blocks), along with Emma Eyster’s 21 assists, Carroll rolled to an easy 25–15 win.
Set two, however, brought tension that tested the team’s composure. Tomball—making the program’s first-ever appearance at the state tournament—capitalized on a flurry of Carroll unforced errors. The Lady Cougars surged to an 18–15 lead, forcing Carroll head coach Leslie Jackson to call a timeout.
“In the second set Tomball had a lot of momentum and we just had way too many unforced errors,” Jackson said afterward. “During the timeout I told the girls to calm down and just play your game."
Carroll responded instantly, flipping the score to 20–19. But Tomball refused to back down, retaking the lead at 22–21 and again at 23–22. Only then did Carroll close the door, scoring the final three points to steal the set and seize back the match’s momentum.
Set three was all Lady Dragons. Confident, relaxed, and energized, Carroll surged ahead early and never let Tomball breathe, finishing the sweep with another 25–15 victory.
For Jackson, who has praised the tight-knit, hardworking nature of her roster all year, the win was the fulfillment of something she sensed early in the season.
“This is such a fun group of girls. They love being together,” she said. “I can't get them to not want to practice. It's unique to have this in high school and it's just been really great to coach them all year.”
Now, that joy and chemistry have placed them on the state’s biggest stage.