The Caldwell Lady Hornets will have a chance to repeat as the Class 3A Region III champions after sweeping the Carthage Ladydogs 25-19, 25-16, 25-14 on Friday at Viking Gym.

Cameron, meanwhile, struggled to set up a rematch with its District 24-3A rivals, falling to Mexia 16-25, 25-23, 25-15, 25-22 in the other semifinal.

After convincingly controlling Game 1, the Lady Yoe failed to break through late in the other games, narrowly losing Games 2 and 4.

As a result, Caldwell will play Mexia in the championship match at 2 p.m. Saturday.

The Lady Hornets used late runs in each game to get within one victory of their second consecutive trip to the state tournament.

"We weren't 100 percent tonight," Caldwell head coach Jane Anne Giese said. "But we have been working more and more as a team to work as a unit on the court, so if somebody's struggling, somebody has to pick up the effort."

The teams traded points in Game 1 with Carthage never falling too far behind. With a 15-14 lead, the Lady Hornets went on the offensive, outscoring the Ladydogs 10-5 en route to the win.

"They did a good job of stopping us early," Giese said. "But my setter really was smart, dumping the ball and opening up the middle."

Caldwell setter Allison Alford led the Lady Hornets in assists with 25.

Sondra Flippin, who earned a pair of kills in the 10-5 run, led the team with 14 total.

Caldwell's Ashlee Hollis, who led the team with 13 digs, opened Game 2 with an ace. Carthage retook the lead after a four-point run, but the Lady Hornets took advantage of some Ladydogs miscues during a 13-4 run to regain control.

Despite a 6-1 run by Carthage to cut Caldwell's Game 2 lead to one point, the Lady Hornets again dominated in the final moments with a 10-2 run for the win.

The Lady Hornets kept the momentum going into the Game 3, maintaining a 10-point lead through most of it.