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Day 1 Stuff: Lady Wildcats reach, exceed goal in 2012
BY Kevin Hageland, khageland@starlocalnews.com
By the time newly-hired head coach Teri Minnis talked to the Plano Senior volleyball team, they had already set a goal.
"From Day 1 the kids said, 'we are going to make the playoffs,'" Minnis said. "It wasn't me, our assistants or anyone else; these girls set a goal to make the playoffs and weren't going to be stopped."
Not only did the Lady Wildcats make the playoffs for the first time since 2009, they matched the 2005 squad for deepest playoff run ever by making the Region II Finals.
It was evident early, at least to Minnis, that 2012 could be a fun season.
"I saw the potential right away," she said. "But of course I didn't want to say anything to the kids just yet because we were all still getting to know each other."
That process was easier than anticipated.
"You never know if you are going to click with the kids right away," Minnis said. "But that is exactly what happened. The kids understood what I was looking for and they knew that I wasn't just telling them fluff; what I told them is what I expected."
Minnis was speaking to a veteran corps with the team comprised entirely of seniors (Morrell, Ally Birkett, Lauren Stahlman, Mackenzie Daly, Alicia Hinojos, Sam Seal, Audrey Landry, Ellen Frawley, Stephanie Burson, Maegan Barry) and juniors (Kylie Long, Natalie Fazio, Aubrey Davis, Sheila Kiley and Haley Harrison).
High finishes at tournaments in Duncanville and Allen prefaced a second-place run in Arlington with the team losing to state No. 1 Southlake Carroll in the finals.
"We were really rolling and doing things the right way," Minnis said. "We were going point-for-point with some of the traditional state powerhouses, which is always a good sign for how strong your team is."
Even then, Minnis didn't fully disclose her expectations for the team.
That wouldn't come until Oct. 19 after Plano dropped a four setter to Plano West that tied the teams for second place in District 10-5A.
"We had a long talk after that match," Minnis said. "The girls just weren't doing what we expected so I told them, 'look at us and what we've already done; there are some things we need to fix immediately, but if we can do that, we can make a run ... we can go pretty far."
A different team entered the gym the next Monday.
Plano responded with a six-match winning streak that included a victory over West in a seeding march and saw the Lady Wildcats march to the regional finals for a fifth meeting with Boyd.
"Our girls were so excited once they made the playoffs and then a little bit of nerves kicked in and they were like, 'OK, we're here, now how do we win these matches,'" Minnis said. "But the girls did a great job of putting their trust in me and in their teammates and they really got going."
Plano won the first set against Boyd, but its quest to become the first Lady Wildcats team (and just second in Plano ISD history) to advance to the Class 5A State Tournament was thwarted over the next three sets.
"I told the girls, 'look at what we've done; you got to a point that only one other Plano team had been,'" Minnis said. "There were lot of tears in the locker room, but they weren't just tears of disappointment; there was a lot of pride there too."
That was evident from talking to the players.
"We had such a good season and I'm so proud of this team," Landry said.
"It was a really good season and we all enjoyed it," Daly added. "I know we all tried our hardest in that last game and even though it didn't end up the way we wanted, it was still a great season."
Minnis would've expected nothing less from the 2012 Lady Wildcats.
"This senior class had so much determination and wanted to do something they had never done before, so this was huge for them," she said. "But really, it's this whole team. I've never had a team that was more special; they all loved each other and were so committed to the program, which is something you don't get that often.
"I don't think I could have scripted this year much better."
Graduation will have 10 players moving on, but Plano still returns five next season, including starters in Long, Davis and Fazio.
"We have a great core coming back," Minnis said. "And I think the experience they gained on the court and from being in the playoffs will pay off for us going forward."
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