Plano East freshman Ava Nzegwu jumps in the air to hit the ball last Friday against Frisco Lebanon Trail. Photo by Tina Lopez / C&S Media
By David Wolman
One year after making their first regional final appearance since 2008, the Plano East Lady Panthers have showed no signs of slowing down.
Plano East capped off a perfect 9-0 first week to the 2026 season with a 2-1 triumph against Frisco Memorial (25-14, 23-25, 28-26) during the championship match of the gold bracket in the Garland ISD Tournament. It was Plano East’s third time winning the tournament over the last four years.
After earning a 3-1 come-from-behind win over Woodrow Wilson (24-26, 25-17, 25-14, 25-19) to commence the season Aug. 11, Plano East won all eight matches in Garland and lost just two sets. The Lady Panthers topped South Grand Prairie (25-16, 25-18), Lebanon Trail (25-19, 25-8) and Lakeview Centennial (25-7, 25-15) during the first day of pool play, swept Forney, Frisco Independence and Eastlake on the second day before outlasting Johnson and Frisco Memorial on the last day.
One of the team’s newest players, sophomore Anna Lukas, a Lovejoy transfer, totaled a team-high 78 kills during the season’s first week. Sophomore Kyla Slaughter had 56 kills, followed by 55 from sophomore Luz Luna. Junior middle blocker Jaiden Boutte notched 20 blocks. Senior libero Dakota Huynh had 143 digs to pace Plano East’s defensive efforts.
Plano East’s undefeated streak ended Tuesday, with the Lady Panthers falling on the road to Rock Hill by a 3-1 final (25-15, 18-25, 25-21, 25-23).
After struggling with passing as well as the jump serve of Rock Hill freshman Danielle Bazan in the first set, Plano East was much more fluid on offense in the second set.
A pair of Luna kills staked the Lady Panthers to a commanding 14-4 lead. But a young Rock Hill (9-2) team with seven freshmen on its roster didn’t lose its focus. The Blue Hawks closed the gap thanks to a pair of aces from Auri Graham. Rock Hill got as close as 21-18 late in the set, but Plano East maintained its composure. A block by Boutte forced set point and a kill by freshman Ava Nzegwu notched Plano East the set victory for a 1-1 tie in the best-of-five match.
Plano East had chances to take a stranglehold of the match, but the Lady Panthers were unable to build on a 12-8 lead during the third set. Rock Hill took the lead for good on an Alyssa Jackson kill and Graham capped off a 17-9 run with a kill, giving the Blue Hawks a two sets to one lead.
For a moment, it appeared the fourth set was going to get away from Plano East. Rock Hill built a 9-3 lead after back-to-back aces, but the Lady Panthers proceeded to answer with a big run of their own. Slaughter rallied Plano East into an 18-12 lead with an emphatic block on the right side.
But just like the third set, Plano East was unable to close out Rock Hill. The Blue Hawks stunned the Lady Panthers with a 13-5 run, and the match ended after the 11th Rock Hill ace of the evening.
Stay informed and support your local community newspaper — subscribe to Murphy Monitor.
0 Comments