Kayla Caffey might be the only Texas volleyball player without a name on the back of her jersey, but that doesn’t mean she’s less important.

It’s quite the opposite, really.

Westwood junior Simryn Jacob wasn’t afraid to let out a thunderous yell after every point she won on Thursday night.

The last one, however, had a little extra passion, and it unleashed a mob of burnt orange and white.

Jacob’s match was the clincher as Westwood dominated Houston Memorial 10-0 in the finals of the UIL State Team Tennis tournament on Thursday to win the state team tennis title for the third time in five seasons.

Emma Regan might not be the flashiest on the Texas soccer roster, but there might not be a more important player to the Longhorns’ success.

The fifth-year senior, who has led the team in minutes played over the last two seasons and made her 61st consecutive start, scored her first career goal from the run of play on Sunday, helping Texas beat Florida 3-2 at Mike A. Meyers Stadium.

“I don’t need to be flashy,” Regan said. “At the end of the day, I just want to win games.”

One thing stands out the first time you see the Vandegrift offensive line together.

“We’re all massive human beings, that’s pretty obvious,” junior right tackle Blake Frazier said.

The nearly impenetrable front for the Vipers starts with 320-pound Ian Reed at left tackle and continues with left guard Sam Perry, center Gage Garrison, right guard Ryan Jeffries and Frazier.

Every starter is at least six feet tall, and they total nearly 1,500 pounds as a unit.

When Kayla Lopez first put on the No. 2 jersey for Rouse volleyball two seasons ago, she felt a responsibility to continue the legacy of success.

The tradition of dominant outside hitters wearing No. 2 started in 2015 when élan McCall wore the jersey, Grayson Schirpik put it on beginning in 2018 and Lopez took over as the ceremonial role in 2020.

“I’m my own player, but I want to be able to help the team out just as much as they did,” Lopez said.

When Cole Ragans took the mound for the High-A Hickory Crawdads on May 5, 2021, it had been more than 1,300 days since he last threw a pitch in a competitive baseball game.

The right-handed pitcher saw his 2018 season end early when he had Tommy John surgery. He needed a second Tommy John operation that ended his 2019 campaign before it started, and the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

His first pitch back after three lost seasons landed behind the right-field wall.

“I was just on the mound watching it, and I was just like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’” he said.

Jared Southard turned around his season thanks in part to a frost blue Gatorade.

Not long after Rouse, his high school team, was eliminated from the playoffs in early May, the Texas relief pitcher went back to talk with the team he had a hand in making a perennial power.

Instead of talking about any struggles he might be having with the Longhorns, they gave him blue Gatorade that seemly had supernatural powers and asked if he’d keep coming back.

“I was having a tough time mentally with some things,” Southard said. “I went back and saw the kids there. They kind of gave me some hope. Just seeing those kids kind of look up to me, that’s kind of what changed.

“I only drink blue Gatorade now.”

Between barbecues, dancing and scoring goals, Maxi Urruti has boosted the good vibes for Austin FC this season.

Since joining the Verde & Black in the offseason, the striker has been ever-present in the starting lineup. He had his best game with the club on Saturday night, scoring two goals to help Austin FC down the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-0 at Q2 Stadium.

“We had a good locker room last year even if results weren’t going our way,” goalkeeper Brad Stuver said. “Adding pieces like Maxi and bringing in that lightheartedness and fun-ness can really turn everyone’s mentality into something different. It’s infectious.”

Gisella Maul wanted to get the full recruiting experience instead of quickly committing to her hometown dream school from the jump.

But the ability to play high-level college basketball close to family and friends proved too difficult to pass up.

Maul, the 2021-22 Gatorade Texas Girls Basketball Player of the Year who helped the Timberwolves win back-to-back state championships, committed to play for Texas on Monday morning.

“I really feel likes saying close to home and going to Texas is a perfect move for me,” Maul said.

Diego Fagundez is the Energizer Bunny of Austin FC.

The tireless midfielder went the full 90 minutes against D.C. United last Saturday, played 120 minutes in the U.S. Open Cup loss to San Antonio FC on Wednesday night and played 79 minutes in Saturday’s home win against Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

“I was in the game, and I was telling myself, ‘just one more play,’” Fagundez said on Wednesday. “I was trying to recover my legs to keep going at them. Towards the end, my legs were just giving up. It’s tough.”

Danny Hoesen could’ve given up after injuries derailed his first season with Austin FC. Instead, he doubled down with his commitment, and now, he's seeing his hard work pay off.

The Dutch striker scored his first goal in Verde & Black on Saturday, helping Austin FC overcome a two-goal deficit and come back for a 3-2 win at D.C. United, the first road win for the club in nearly a year.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Hoesen said. “It’s been a long, tough year for me. That everything comes together tonight, that’s pretty special.”

Greg Brown III is either playing basketball or dancing. Many times, he’s doing both at the same time.

From the weight room at Vandegrift High School to center court at the AT&T Center in San Antonio after making his third straight start for the Portland Trail Blazers, the spirits are always high when Brown is around.

“Whatever we were doing, if Greg wasn’t in the act of playing basketball, he was dancing,” Vandegrift head coach Cliff Ellis said. “That’s just his personality, he’s got a positive energy all the time.”

Scottie Scheffler used to wear long pants to practice at his local club growing up because he dreamed of being a professional golfer.

Right now, there’s nobody better.

The former Texas golf standout won the WGC-Dell Match Play Sunday with a 3&4 win over Kevin Kisner to move into the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Rankings for the first time in his career.

“I never really got that far in my dreams,” Scheffler said as he did his best to hold back tears. “I never made it that far. I just love playing golf. I love competing. I'm just happy to be out here.”

Megan Woods is content to find a spot on the beach on a sunny day and get lost in a good book.

But the Cedar Park senior will also spike a volleyball in your face, rip a rebound from your hands or beat you in a 400-yard footrace, and she’ll do it with a smile on her face.

At a time when many high school athletes dream of continuing their athletic careers in college, Woods is unique. An all-district honoree on the volleyball and basketball courts, and a regional finalist in track, Woods prefers to live in the moment.

“I want to simply be happy,” she said.

If you’ve been at any Cedar Park girls’ basketball game over the last few years, the Shelby Hayes cheering section is hard to miss.

With her grandma sitting in the front row and the rest of her family hardly missing a game, Hayes has been a dominant force for the Timberwolves as they capped off an undefeated season and second-straight state title Saturday night.

“It’s amazing to know I have as much support as I do, and I’m very grateful,” Hayes said. “They’re my biggest supporters. When I’m down, they pick me back up.”

Austin has very quickly claimed a spot on the U.S. Soccer rotation, and that shows no signs of slowing down.

The U.S. Women’s National Team arrived at Austin FC’s St. David’s Performance Center last Wednesday for its 10-day January Camp. Even if there aren’t any matches on the schedule during this training camp, the city has made an impression on U.S. Soccer and USWNT roster.

“I would not mind this being a regular stop on the rotation,” defender Kelley O'Hara said. I love Austin, I think it’s a super fun city. They’ve created a great, professional environment here. You can count on me putting in a vote for Austin.”

The confidence oozing from the Round Rock basketball bench is palpable from the dynamic duo Jae’lyn Brooks and Reese Miller to head coach Brent Murphy’s custom maroon-and-white Jordan 1s.

Brooks and Miller have been playing basketball together since middle school, and the chemistry shows for the Dragons, which have won back-to-back games to stay tied atop the District 25-6A standings.

“I’ve always been the best slasher, and he’s always been the best shooter,” Miller said. “That’s just been a great combo. We just play off each other and don’t even have to think about it at this point.”

One game does not define the body of work for Vandegrift.

The Vipers lost 70-7 to back-to-back state champion Westlake in the regional final Saturday afternoon at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium.

In the last four years, Vandegrift has won the outright district or a share of the title and advanced to at least the third round of playoffs in three of those four seasons.

“I’m so proud of these guys to play into December and win a share of the district title and all the amazing relationships we built along the way,” head coach Drew Sanders said.

When McKinze Gaines was growing up in Round Rock, he never envisioned playing for his hometown club, let alone becoming a legend overnight.

Gaines became the first Austinite to score for Austin FC when he rocketed home a volley in the second half of their 2-0 win over the LA Galaxy to etch his name in the history books at Q2 Stadium forever.

“First goals are always special, and to score a goal like that in front of those fans was something that I’ll never forget,” he said.

Julia Grosso’s momentary panic very quickly turned to relief.

When the Texas Soccer senior shot what turned out to be the goal-medal winning penalty kick for Canada at the Tokyo Olympics, she first thought the Swedish goalkeeper saved it, but her shot had enough power to squeak through and make history for Canada.

“I knew that as the final kick, but it took me a second to realize we won gold,” Grosso said. “It was a sign of relief because of all the hard work we’d put in. It was the craziest moment ever.”