Archives > Sports Update
Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
RSS
Share
Sneak preview: Lady Panthers renew rivalries in Duncanville tourney
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
When the Plano East volleyball team took the floor for the first time Friday at the Duncanville Tournament of the Champions, the first and foremost goal was to be competitive.
Seven matches and an overall 11th-place finish later, the Lady Panthers came away pleased with what was accomplished in their first sustained stretch of non-district play.
"Overall, we did well," said Steven Jones, East head coach. "Our focus going in was to compete and finish in the championship bracket, place as high as we can because we're going to the Pearland Tournament (on Aug. 30) for the first time in a while.
The Lady Panthers even had a chance to renew a couple rivalries along the way, drawing city and district bunkmates Plano Senior and Plano West for their final two matches in the championship consolation bracket.
"You really wish that as a district opponent, you don't see them during tournaments," Jones said. "We like to be in competitive tournaments though and that means there's a chance we'll run into each other."
For three teams that finished last season in a three-way tie for fourth place in District 8-5A, Saturday's pair of matches were equally nip-and-tuck.
In East's case, it meant breaking even against its rivals, topping Plano (23-25, 25-18, 25-16) to advance to the consolation semifinals before falling shy against West (25-15, 20-25, 25-18).
"Going up against Plano and Plano West, the competition is going to be there," Jones said. "They've got good programs and good coaches, and they all went to three games so it looks like we're in for another fun, competitive season between the Plano schools."
That final outcome was a running theme for the Lady Panthers, who went 4-3 in their two days of tournament play with all three setbacks going the distance.
"What was good for us was that when we did lose, it went to three games," Jones said. "You want to be competitive against top teams and the fact we were able to take a game from somebody showed that we have what it takes to beat them; we just need to maintain that consistency into the third game."
There was also the matter of keeping an eye on the tell-tale signs of the team's continuity, chiefly how well the Lady Panthers moved the ball and communicated.
This was the first extended spurt of varsity play for many of the team's newcomers, with senior Symone Stephenson, junior Maggie Becker and sophomore Karyn Chrisman - the youngest player on the roster - making strong impressions early.
"[Chrisman is] a tall girl who can put the ball down hard," Jones said. "She's still getting used to the varsity level, the speed and the competition, but I think she can be a good, young star for us in the future."
Feeding off the veteran presence of seniors Gabby Litwin, Kayla Burling, Sammy Myers and junior McKenzie Shea can make that transition a bit easier.
"It's that kind of leadership that you want to see on the court," Jones said. "And knowing your teammates that well, that's going to help us win a lot of games in the future."
The Lady Panthers advanced to the championship bracket, but found themselves on the consolation side after falling to Amarillo (18-25, 25-18, 25-7) in the opener. East earned that chance after going 3-1 in its two spurts of pool play, opening the tournament with wins over Keller Central (20-25, 25-17, 25-15) and Magnolia (25-23, 25-15) before splitting outings against Ursuline (29-27, 25-16) and Flower Mound Marcus (13-25, 25-12, 25-15).
That was enough for 11th place among the 36 teams competing. That was par for the course for the remainder of District 10-5A, with Allen and McKinney Boyd tying for fifth, West placing 10th and Plano claiming 13th.
Much of that same competition will be in action Friday at Allen for the Texas Open. In pool play, the Lady Panthers open against Lake Highlands (10:15 a.m.), Sachse (12:45 p.m.) and reigning Class 5A State Champion Coppell (2 p.m.).
"We're off to a much better start than we were at this point last year," Jones said. "We're excited, but we know we have a lot to improve on."
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
You must register with a valid email to post comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Registered users sign in here:
Become a Registered User
- Return to: Sports Update «
- Home «
- Top of Page ^
