For the second time in less than a week, an opponent worked hard to keep the Plano East volleyball team from winning a match in three sets.
Plano East defeated Plano 25-19, 25-18, 27-25 last Friday, but the Lady Panthers struggled to defeat McKinney on Tuesday.
Faced with the threat of having to play a fourth set, Plano East went to its top two offensive players to slow McKinney’s momentum.
Senior outside hitter Simone Heard had back-to-back kills to put the Lady Panthers ahead, and senior outside hitter Marisabelle Sias sealed the 3-0 victory (25-14, 25-18, 25-23), hitting the ball hard through the arms of a Lionettes blocker for a kill.
McKinney led 22-20 after an Ayanna Henry kill, when Heard and Sias were killed.
“We got a little too comfortable, started going through the motions a little too much,” head coach Sarah Perez said. “We had a conversation, and I told them, ‘This is your game; you have to take it.'” “They did exactly that.”
Plano East dominated the first two sets and did not trail until the third.
In the early stages, the two teams traded blows, with both team preparing their offenses adequately for hitting efforts. But as the opening set progressed, unforced errors drove McKinney into a hole, and Plano East took advantage.
The Lionettes went as close as 9-7 on a kill by junior Emerie McDonald, but the Lady Panthers’ defense, passing, and hitting were simply too consistent.
Plano East finished the first set on a 16-7 run, with Heard capping a strong finish for the Lady Panthers with her fifth kill of the match.
Heard, a Georgia Tech commit, ended the game with 17 kills. Perez, however, was most delighted with her team’s secondary offense. Heard and Sias have been major offensive contributors this season, but other players have stepped up and provided big swings for Plano East.
Freshman Kyla Slaughter, sophomore Jaiden Boutte, junior Leyna Anderson, and junior Alanna Thomas all responded to the occasion on Tuesday, demonstrating the increased firepower they have added to Plano East’s offense.
Anderson had back-to-back kills early in the second set, and Slaughter added her own kill later in the set, giving Plano East a 16-8 lead.
“We’ve been talking all season about needing to utilize everyone and for everybody to play their role,” Perez told the team.
“Those young girls are taking control of their roles, which is fantastic because it allows us to move the ball more effectively and have an offensive weapon available everywhere. I am proud of them. “We’re learning, growing, and improving with each game.”
Plano East continued to fire away in the third set, but McKinney dug out every ball hit by the Lady Panthers while dealing out some strong hits of their own.
McKinney gained its first lead of the game with a kill by senior Ayanna Henry on the first point. The Lionettes fell behind shortly after, but they continued to put pressure on the Lady Panthers. McKinney led 22-20 after a hitting mistake by Plano East, but the Lady Panthers rallied just in time to complete the sweep of the Lionettes.
Plano East (22-8, 6-2) finished the first half of district play with five consecutive victories, firmly establishing itself as one of the top four teams in District 6-6A, alongside Plano West (19-4, 7-1), Plano (22-7, 6-2), and Allen (26-5, 5-2).
“I don’t want to jinx myself, but I feel that we’re finally coming into our identity as a team,” Perez told the crowd. “We’re finally owning who we are and what we’re playing for.”
