Facing an eight-point deficit and trailing the game 2-1 in the fourth set on the road, Katy High mounted a furious comeback against Tompkins, using a balanced attack from seniors Skylor Weaver and Karah Parkerson, and sophomores Jordan Gamble and Maddie Waak, to rally for a 3-2 win on Tuesday, Oct. 22.

Katy took the match with set scores of 23-25, 25-16, 21-25, 25-23 and 15-9. The game had important playoff implications for both teams.

The win improved Katy to 29-13 overall, 8-2 in District 19-6A. The Tigers are 1 1/2 games up on Seven Lakes for second place in the district with two games left. Cinco Ranch has secured at least a share of the district title after sweeping Taylor on Tuesday, and currently has a 10-0 record in district play.

Cinco Ranch, Katy and Seven Lakes have secured postseason berths.

Tompkins fell to 22-16 overall, 5-5 in District 19-6A. The Falcons are currently one game ahead of Mayde Creek for the fourth and final playoff spot. Tompkins has matchups with Taylor on Oct. 25 and Mayde Creek on Oct. 29 remaining.

In addition to Katy rallying from down 9-1 in the fourth set against Tompkins, the Tigers also scored the final eight points of the second set to tie the game early, 1-1. The third set saw Tompkins stake out to a commanding 24-15 lead, followed by six straight points from Katy before the Falcons finally won the set.

Despite facing that 9-1 hole in the fourth set, Waak said she was confident in herself and her team.

“We knew we weren’t going to lose,” she said. “I feel like we knew we could beat this team, and we didn’t have the energy at times, but what we lacked in energy, we still had focus. We still wanted it more at times.”

Katy coach Karen Paxton had to use both of her timeouts early in the fourth set. She stressed slowing down and playing with precision.

“I just told our team they had to breathe and focus,” she said. “Trust our side of the court and get back to playing smart. I feel like we got out of service and got a little bit rattled and got away from the game plan a little bit. We just had to get back in system and serve a little tougher and hit some shots that were open that we weren’t hitting earlier in the match. I’m really proud of our service line; I thought they did a great job.”

As usual for the Tigers, Waak, an LSU commit, led the way on both the back and front lines. She finished with three blocks, two aces and 14 kills, with roughly half coming on strikes and half on tips just over the net to empty floor space.

Although she also defends and initiates the offense at times, Waak noted that it was a nice contrast from her club team.

“I actually don’t ever hit outside of school, so coming back to that is super exciting, because it’s like a break from setting all the time,” she said. “It’s just fun.”

Tompkins also struggled to contain the unique offense of Weaver, who finished with a game-high 23 kills. While she can strike, the long-armed 5-foot-10 Weaver also earns kills with a variety of taps, tips and misdirection hits.

“Usually, there’s a big block, so I have to go around it,” Weaver said. “I have to make up my shots most of the time because of that big block, and I’m not the tallest.”

Gamble, a more traditional 6-2 power hitter, turned out to be the closer for the Tigers, with four kills in the fifth set. However, Parkerson, a scrappy hitter from the front and middle of the court, also had 13 kills.

“She’s 5-8,” Paxton said of the senior, but then adding, “she plays like she’s 6-4.”

As the team looks forward to its last district games and the playoffs, Weaver and Waak said attitude and mindset would be the key.

“I think it’s all about the warm-up,” Weaver said. “Our first set wasn’t as great as it could have been, and it’s about being more focused and focused on our goals … In the huddle, we would say to bring it back to your good place, your good moments, and I think that helps to remind of us the good times when you’re passing, when you’re hitting.”

Paxton said Tompkins was a “very talented” team, similar to teams Katy would be matching up with in the playoffs. With the different options on offense, she noted the importance of good passing and serving going forward to keep opponents off-balance.

“We have to be as consistent as possible, and a couple of our rotations, we’ve given up points,” she said. “When we get stuck, we really get stuck, like any team. But I also think just working to find the shots early … sometimes we wait too long to execute and think we’re going to power through a big block, and against a team like Tompkins that’s not going to happen.”