Plano East senior Simone Heard (8) hits the ball over the net as junior Alanna Thomas (16) backs up the play during a recent road match at McKinney. The Lady Panthers cruised to a 3-0 win over Princeton on Tuesday. Photo by Andy Redmond / C&S Media
By David Wolman
Just like last season, the Plano East volleyball team has set itself up for a strong finish.
The Lady Panthers came into the second half of district play settled into a playoff spot after finishing the first half of 9-6A play with a 6-3 record.
But one thing that head coach Sarah Perez has stressed to her players is staying mentally strong throughout the entirety of a match. There have been several times when Plano East has gotten off to a strong start, only to see the Lady Panthers go through the motions by the end of a match.
Her message was well-received during Tuesday’s 3-0 home win (25-10, 25-8, 25-12) over Princeton.
The Lady Panthers, like throughout the season, received strong defensive play, but what pleased Perez the most about her team’s efforts Tuesday was good, aggressive serving and balanced scoring.
The team’s leader in kills, senior Simone Heard, didn’t record her first kill until the second set, but her teammates backed her up. Freshman Kyla Slaughter had three kills in the first set, senior Mari Sias had three kills and two each by juniors Alanna Thomas and Leyna Anderson.
“One of our things tonight was moving the ball around and getting people touches, getting that confidence,” Perez said. “Everybody stepped up. It was a whole team win.”
Princeton, which hasn’t won a district game all season, was strong defensively all night.
Princeton challenged Plano East in the early going. Senior Storie Wilson buried a kill to bring Princeton within 7-5. Plano East restored momentum after a Slaughter kill on the next point. It was all Plano East the rest of the way, with the home team finishing the opening frame on an 18-5 run.
Strong serving also carried Plano East. Senior Megan Nguyen gave Plano East the lead for good with service aces on back-to-back points. Senior Emma Reeves capped off a dominant finish by notching the fifth ace of the opening set for Plano East. Plano East finished with 13 aces.
In the second set, Heard made her presence felt, posting kills on consecutive points to give Plano East the advantage. Plano East then turned to its serving to increase its lead. Anderson showed pinpoint accuracy, notching three aces over a span of four points, with her fourth ace extending Plano East’s lead to 8-1.
In the third set, Princeton gave Plano East all that it could handle, at least in the early going. Princeton rallied from a 5-2 deficit to tie the score at 5-5 after a violation on Plano East. Sophomore Juliyana Adams notched two aces during Princeton’s comeback.
Princeton continued to show a lot of fight.
After Plano East took a 10-6 lead on a kill by junior Allison Walters, Princeton got as close as 10-8 after an ace by sophomore Kinlee Ratliff. However, Plano East quickly swung the momentum back in its favor after an Anderson kill on the ensuing point. It was all Plano East from there on out as the Lady Panthers finished the match on a 15-4 run.
Plano East will look to ride that momentum into Friday for a key matchup with district leader Plano West (9-1). The Lady Panthers finished last season with 13 wins in its last 14 district games, on its way to advancing to the third round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Plano East seeks another long playoff run.
“We hit our stride the second half of district last round, and I want us to hit that stride a little earlier,” Perez said. “We’re in a fight for the playoffs. Every game matters. Games like tonight matter.”
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