Hereford celebrates after beating Carthage in a Class 4A state semifinal Thursday at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland. [Matt Smith/ For Press Pass Sports]
UIL Class 4A state championship
The game: Hereford (35-14) vs. Lamar Fulshear (44-4).
When: 1 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Curtis Culwell Center, Garland.
Players to watch
Hereford: Darcy Dodd, 5-foot-9, Sr. Outside hitter; Taytum Stow, 6-foot-3, So. Middle blocker.
Lamar Fulshear:Alexis Dacosta, 5-foot-10, So. Outside hitter; Brooklyn Dacosta, 5-foot-7, Sr. Setter.
The matchup: Hereford will play for its first state championship since the 2008 season, and for the first time under sixth-year head coach Catherine Beville.
The Lady Whitefaces (35-14) have been on a playoff roll, dropping only one set through six games, while getting the state’s attention, taking down No. 1-ranked Argyle and Krum back-to-back at the Region I-4A Tournament.
Hereford carried that momentum into its state semifinal Thursday, sweeping Carthage, 25-18, 25-19, 25-23.
Lamar Fulshear (44-4 overall) makes its first ever appearance in a UIL state championship game. The Lady Chargers advanced to Saturday’s title game by handling Kennedale, 25-14, 25-11, 25-20.
Fulshear has won nine straight matches, including six through the postseason without dropping a set.
Hereford coach Catherine Beville says: “It’s crazy to think we’ve played to this point. This season has really flown by and this team has worked so hard. I told our team win or lose we played till the final day, and I couldn’t ask for anything else. When you look at Fulshear, they are an aggressive team that has really good hitters. We have to play good defensive and not let them set up those hitters. Offensively, we have to swing hard and keep them out of system.”
