Volleyball (VB) is big in Texas, and the biggest stage takes place at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, TX. The Center annually hosts the Texas UIL State Tournament.
I’ve written a handful of times about Coach Heather Woods Sanders. Sanders is a Kangaroo and veteran of Roo volleyball. She is also the legendary Coach at New Braunfels Canyon HS. Sanders has nearly 900 coaching wins to her name and is on pace to become the winningest all-time coach in Texas VB history. In 2021, Sanders and Canyon reached the State Tournament with hopes for a title.
It was not to be.
Canyon lost a tough 5-set match, falling just short of a state championship and ending what was a historic run for the Sanders-led squad. Still, there’s always the hope of a championship in the future. And Canyon’s 2021 run made me suddenly interested in experiencing the atmosphere at the Curtis Culwell Center.
The opportunity came this week.
We all have Roo crews. Mine includes Chad Points, a former resident of our beloved “Hickory” fraternity house in Sherman. The daughter of Chad and Jennifer King (also a veteran of Roo volleyball) was a star on an exceptional Dawson Eagles (Pearland, TX) HS volleyball team. Despite fierce competition in the top division (Class 6A D1), Keaton Points and the Dawson Eagles kept on winning.
They won District, won Region, advanced to State, and earned a spot in the title game at the Culwell Center on the back of a dramatic, 16-14 in the fifth set victory. Some of our Roo crew vowed to attend the title game to support, as Dawson hoped to upset the undefeated and defending state champions from Byron Nelson HS.
It was not to be.
Despite a valiant effort, Byron Nelson was just too much. The Eagles could not match with passion the incredible skill of a Byron Nelson squad loaded with future NCAA D1 stars. Still, there’s always the hope of a championship in the future. And Dawson’s 2025 run made me grateful I got to experience the atmosphere at the Curtis Culwell Center.
Chad’s daughter Keaton has a UIL medal for her efforts and the life-changing experience of competing at the highest level in Texas volleyball. If you get a chance, go watch that level of play at the state tournament at the Culwell Center. I’ve shared the final point of that title game: Keaton serves, and Byron Nelson celebrates.
The title game had a lot of high points for Dianne & me. We got to support and celebrate an important Roo crew friend. We got to see some exceptional Volleyball talent. And we got to enjoy the incredible atmosphere at the Culwell Center.
But Culwell also gave me an unexpected Easter Egg. The first person I saw after walking inside was Coach Heather Sanders. I got to say howdy, mention why we were there, and tell Coach Sanders that we’d be back in 2026 to hopefully celebrate a Canyon state title.
I mean, cause why not? There’s always the hope of a championship in the future at the amazing Curtis Culwell Center. Good to briefly cross paths Coach Sanders. And great job Dawson Eagles & the Points family.
