It's easy to underestimate the Lake Highlands volleyball team. No starter stands taller than 5-10. Its go-to player is 5-9. Yet, Lake Highlands managed to make a big splash by winning the District 9-5A title.

Now, Lake Highlands is two wins away from qualifying for its first UIL state tournament. That quest begins today when Lake Highlands (37-5) faces Magnolia (34-7) in a Class 5A, Region II semifinal in Huntsville. The winner plays for the regional title Saturday.

Before the season, some of Lake Highlands' players never imagined this success.

"I'll be completely honest," junior outside hitter Tori Mellinger said. "I had no idea how far we'd go."

Junior setter Angie Morgan added: "We underestimated ourselves, too, I think. But that was a good thing because we didn't come in overconfident. We knew that we were shorter, but we stepped up and did really well."

That mindset was vital. Lake Highlands knew it would have to compensate for its height disadvantage by focusing on defense, passing and serving.

"I have a really solid group of passers and defenders," coach Cory Williams said. "This group is pretty good at everything. We don't have an all-world standout that's going to dominate the net, but we have a lot of girls who can pass and play defense."

If that's your approach, then hustle and quickness is a must.

"We worked on doing things quickly and not getting complacent," Mellinger said. "We worked really hard to make up for our lack of size. It's been a challenge, but we've persevered through it."

Four players have at least 400 digs. Three others have more than 200 each. Everyone gets involved. For example, Mellinger, a 5-9 outside hitter, not only leads the team in kills (625) but is also the team leader in digs (655).

Lake Highlands gets chances for digs because it doesn't have a dominant presence at the net. Senior Hillary Scates (5-9) and sophomore Caroline Henton (5-8) rotate in the middle. The team's tallest player, senior Kristina Weinberger (5-10), plays primarily in the back row.

"It can be really intimidating when you face 6-2 girls who can hit," senior libero Katie Kosarek said. "But we are all really good at defense. By working together, we can get the ball back up and get a point."

That's not to say Lake Highlands concedes the net.

"Even if we're not putting up blocks for points, hopefully we can at least put up a solid block where we can play defense around it," Williams said.

When facing a team with big hitters, Lake Highlands must force it to play out of its offensive system. That's set up with a strong serve.

"If we play teams bigger than us, and they stay in system, we're going to be in trouble," Williams said.

Lake Highlands may not have a dominant hitting presence, but it's still effective on the offensive side as long as its passing is quick and precise. Mellinger and senior outside hitter Jennifer Stadelmann (440 kills) are the main threats. Morgan has 1,308 assists.

"I can't make the set without the passer," Morgan said. "If the pass is good, I'll get the set and the hitter puts it away. It all meshes well."

SMALL WONDERS

Lake Highlands doesn't have a player taller than 6-0 on its roster. Here's a list of the players Lake Highlands rotates regularly:

Lake Highlands (37-5) vs. Magnolia (34-7), Class 5A Region II semifinal, 3 p.m. today, Sam Houston State, Huntsville