Randall volleyball defeats Canyon in Region I-4A DII title match

AMARILLO — For the fourth time in the past five seasons, Randall's volleyball team is heading to the state semifinals.The Lady Raiders defeated Canyon 21-25, 25-17, 25-23, 26-24 in the Region I-4A Division II title game, securing a return to the final four after falling short in 2025.Following a Lady Eagles victory in the first set, a spirited message from Randall head coach Karli Morrison helped the Lady Raiders recover and win the next three sets.Now, after beating Fort Stockton, avenging last year's playoff loss to Eagle Mountain, then defeating Brock and Canyon, Randall meets Sunnyvale with a trip to the state championship on the line.Living up to the momentCanyon and Randall's crosstown playoff clash brought a lively crowd to Amarillo High on Tuesday night.The school's gym sold out 30 minutes before the match was set to begin and featured multiple coaches from the area, including West Texas A&M head football coach Josh Lynn, in the crowd.Former Randall head volleyball coach Haleigh Burns, who now holds the same position at Amarillo High, was also on-site to see the Lady Raiders earn a hard-fought victory."I said mine versus yours all day. The black flood when you walked in was unbelievable," Morrison said. "Everybody showed up; from teachers, to coaches, to students, to parents, to grandmas, granddads, you know, things like that. So, it was fun to be able to see the whole Raider Nation show up tonight."Amidst the deafening crowd, it was Canyon who settled in first, though.The Lady Eagles claimed a 25-21 victory in the opening set, continuing the team's momentum after a reverse sweep against Lubbock-Cooper Liberty in the regional semifinals. After dropping the first set, Morrison said she gave her team an impassioned speech on the sideline."I kind of chewed them out, because we had been working on this for over a week and trying to prepare everything that we've done in playoffs and then we didn't know anything that we prepared," Morrison said.Morrison's words seemed to work, as the Lady Raiders rebounded to earn their most decisive victory of the evening in the second set. The final two sets came down to the wire as Canyon made multiple strong comeback efforts, but Randall was able to quell the Lady Eagles momentum each time."I think it just made us realize we were making the moment bigger than what it is," senior Amber Matthews said. "We know how to play volleyball. We've been ready, training for this for a while. Just calm down and play the game right now."The victory continues what has been a remarkable stretch for Randall, who has now reached the state semifinals four of the past five years. Randall reached the UIL title match in 2022, 2023 and 2024, winning the Class 4A crown in 2022 when Burns was at the helm.To get back to Garland, the Lady Raiders must defeat Sunnyvale in the Class 4A Division II semifinals. The match is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14, from the Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center in Fort Worth.This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Randall volleyball defeats Canyon in Region I-4A DII title match