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Mount Pleasant anything but: Mitchell disappointed with Lady Leopards' effort in playoff win
BY Kevin Hageland, khageland@starlocalnews.com
The Lovejoy volleyball team easily won its playoff opener Monday night over Mount Pleasant (25-13, 25-16, 25-10).
The Lady Leopards dominated an overmatched Mount Pleasant front line with seniors Ebony Nwanebu, Mallorie Puckett, junior Katelyn McKenzie and freshman Sarah Langs, but that doesn't necessarily mean the Lady Leopards put forth a strong effort.
"We came out really slow," said Ryan Mitchell, Lovejoy head coach. "I'm not sure if it was a hangover from Friday's big win (a five-set playoff warm-up victory over Class 5A No. 3-ranked Colleyville Heritage), but we gave away so many points in Games 1 and 2. I was really surprised because I expect this team, especially with so many seniors, to play well every match."
"I benched all my starters," he said. "We needed a spark and the starters weren't giving us what we needed, so we brought in some girls that could."
Led by senior Madi Pfaff, junior Brooke Barfield and sophomore Hannah Field, Lovejoy scored its most lopsided set in Game 3 with a 25-10 victory.
"Those are girls that are eager to play and eager to prove themselves," Mitchell said. "And in this match, they did just that."
Monday's win was Lovejoy's first Class 4A playoff victory.
"It's a constant battle because I'm always challenging the team to look at each match by itself and enjoy every moment, every experience along the way," Mitchell said. "It can be tough because the girls have had so much success and have kind of a been there, done that mentality. They don't look at this as being a first in the Class 4A playoffs, they just look at it as playoffs, and they know how to win in the playoffs."
Mitchell didn't have any such concerns about motivation Friday when Lovejoy defeated Heritage in a tune-up match (19-25, 25-19, 20-25, 25-20, 15-10).
Nwanebu was a force against the Lady Panthers, delivering 37 kills and 12 digs. Many of those points were aided by senior Shannon Connell, who dished out 36 assists, while seniors Brooke Ray and Bailey Martin steadied the defense with respective dig counts of 20 and 17.
"That was a huge match," Mitchell said. "It kind of snapped us back into reality."
Lovejoy might have backslid Monday, but Mitchell has plans to rectify that.
"We need to refocus and we need some accountability," he said. "That starts with tough practices. My job is to figure out the right buttons to push to motivate the girls and their job is to be ready."
Be ready for some potential tough matches approaching as the four-time reigning Class 3A State Champions could still have to face Red Oak, Frisco Centennial and Highland Park just to advance to the Class 4A State Tournament (Nov. 15-17 at the Curtis Cullwell Center in Garland) for the first time.
"There are a lot of sleeping giants out there and they would like nothing more than to beat Lovejoy," Mitchell said. "So I want to see us play up to our potential, start playing our best volleyball."
Next up for the Lady Leopards is an area match against Mansfield Legacy, which is set for 6:30 p.m. Friday at Lake Dallas.
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