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Ridge Point falls short in State Semis, Panthers finish 46-5
Nov 23, 2019
The first UIL Class 6A state semifinal at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland on Friday featured a great match between Byron Nelson and Schertz Clemens, a match that Nelson won despite a real struggle.
However, that match couldn't hold a candle to Ridge Point's 6A semifinal match with Plano West.
After losing the first two sets to the state's No. 4 ranked Wolves, Coach Lauryn Bailey's Panthers dug deep inside themselves and found a way to win the third set. And then the fourth.
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Tied at 2-2 in sets, the Wolves and Panthers put on one of the most entertaining, yet dramatic fifth sets in the history of the UIL State Tournament. The two teams literally went point-for-point up to Point No. 11, when Plano West senior Iman Ndiaye (who's headed to UCLA) slammed two kills in three serves to put the Wolves up 14-12.
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A service error got the Panthers back to within one but PWHS senior Noelle then slammed a kill to end the match - and Ridge Point's season - as the Wolves won 15-13.
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The Panthers' amazing 2019 campaign ended with a spectacular 46-5 record. Plano West (40-5) advanced to Saturday night's 7 p.m. matchup against Byron Nelson for the 6A state championship.
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Nothing went right for the Panthers in Sets 1 and 2.
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Plano West spread the offene around their big hitters: Ndiaye (27 kills on the night along with three digs and two total blocks); Jill Pressly (headed to DePaul, 26 kills, 16 digs, two total blocks); and Piatas (University of Miami, 10 kills, three digs and two total blocks), among others.
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No one would have faulted the Panthers if they fell in three sets. No one, that is, except first-year coach Bailey and the Panthers themselves.
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"Nothing was gonna stop them' they did exactly what champions should do," Bailey explained. "We could have very easily lost in three sets. But these girls are fighters and champions and they played their hearts out.
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"That defines them as who they are<strong>. </strong>The three seniors (Reagan Rutherford, Claire Jeter and Nia McCardell) are the epitome of leadership, their determination was amazing.."
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Back came the Panthers.
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They stayed even up until 9-9 in Set 3, jumped out to a 13-9 edge, got kills from Lindsey Ogle (two kills, two digs) and Alexis Roberson (one kill and four total blocks) to go up 15-12, then pulled away to a 22-16 lead on two straight kills by Sydney Jordan (nine kills and two digs), Tiana Davis (eight kills and three digs) then pounded two kills on three serves to close out the set for the Panthers, 25-18. More than anything else, the growth of the Panthers' confidence, combined with better blocking and passing, fueled the squad in Set 4.
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Last year's VYPE Player of the Year, Claire Jeter, (11 kills and six total blocks) also found her groove, pounding three kills and combining with Davis for a block in the first 11 points alone.The Panthers jumped out to a 17-8 lead then survived a 7-0 run by the Wolves that cut their lead to 17-15. The two teams traded points although PWHS was able to eventually tie at 20. From there, Roberson stepped up and hammered three kills and Jordan added one more as the Panthers finished the set on a 4-1 run to win 25-21.
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That set up a fifth set that was one of the best ever at the State Tournament. The squads literally traded points at from Point 1 through Point 11; neither team was able to get more than one point ahead.
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"We'll look back on that fifth set and hate the fact we couldn't score a couple points in a row," Bailey recalled.
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At 11-11, the Wolves got two straight kills from Ndiaye to go up 13-11. A service error made it 13-12 but Ndiaye again cranked out a kill to put it at 14-12. Another Plano West service error kept it alive at 14-13. Then, Piatas took a set from Ashley Le (47 assists, nine digs, four aces and one kill) and slammed it past the Panthers' defense for the final point.
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Reagan Rutherford was her usual outstanding self as she totaled a triple-double: 16 kills, 16 assists, 12 digs and one block. Britney Ong dug out 17 balls and assisted on four kills. Nia McCardell chipped in with 16 digs, eight assists, two aces, and one kill. The Panthers actually out-blocked the Wolves, 10.5 to seven. Rutherford (headed to the University of Kentucky), Jeter (headed to Texas A&M) and McCardell (headed to Rice University) were singled out by Bailey.
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"These three girls are going to college and will continue playing volleyball," she said. "This is the beginning for them; they're going to their (respective) schools and will show what amazing athletes and women they are."
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Other graduating seniors include Kendall Sekula (Concordia-Irvine), Ong, Randee Hennings, Baleigh Stephens and Tyler Cain.
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UIL
HISTORIC: Fulshear sweeps Hereford for program's first-ever UIL Volleyball State Championship
Nov 23, 2019
So much for being a "newbie."
The Fulshear Chargers' volleyball program, in just its third year of existence at the varsity level, exceeded all expectations (outside of their own) as they came to the UIL Class 4A state tournament and made their mark while, at the same time, making school history.
Coach Sydney Gotcher's Chargers swept a favored Hereford team in three sets (25-20, 25-18, 25-19 ) and grabbed the gold medal for a school that didn't exist five years ago (the school opened in 2016).
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Fulshear finishes the season with an amazing 45-4 record while Hereford fell to 35-15 with the loss.
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"I don't know if I really knew how good this team was this year," chuckled Gotcher, whose team didn't drop a single set in their six-match playoff run to the state championship. "There were times we'd take the floor and I'd wonder how the girls would handle a four-set or five-set match, yet they've been able to go out and dominate. I'm just as surprised as anyone about their ability to do so well."
</p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Class 4A State Championship Match.. <a href="https://twitter.com/FULSHEARVB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FULSHEARVB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chargers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chargers</a> are your Class 4A State Champions! Chargers win in 3 sets (20, 18, 19) over <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hereford?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Hereford</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AlexisDacosta?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AlexisDacosta</a> slammed the game-winner. <a href="https://twitter.com/uiltexas?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@uiltexas</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/UIL_AD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UIL_AD</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/vypehouston?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@vypehouston</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AustinTGCA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AustinTGCA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/FULSHEARVB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FULSHEARVB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/jokoch09?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jokoch09</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/FanstandATX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FanstandATX</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/herdATs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@herdATs</a> <a href="https://t.co/7YuFEVYLvl">pic.twitter.com/7YuFEVYLvl</a><br>
— KMACChuck (@KMACChuck) <a href="https://twitter.com/KMACChuck/status/1198336943102119936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2019</a>
</blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"> </script></div><p>
Ellie Echter, a four-year senior, said, "This feels really cool! There were about eight people in the program when we started it four years ago; we all had a lot of volleyball experience outside of high school, we just had to learn how to put that experience to use by developing chemistry with each other."<br>
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Sophomore libero Ava Underwood declared, "We knew we could come to state and make an impact. This team is amazing; we love each other. To be able to not drop a single set in the playoffs shows how much we played well together.
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"We're going to miss the seniors and their leadership. We have a lot of (returnees) so we'll have to get back to work."
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The Chargers were challenged in all three sets, escaping with late scoring runs in Set 1. Hereford took exception and ran out to a quick 6-2 lead in Set 2.
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Fulshear battled back and chipped away at the lead. They eventually tied it at 9-9, then used kills by Ellie Echter and Madeline Morrow and an ace from Brooklyn Dacosta to go up 12-10; Echter then hammered the hardwood again for a 13-10 lead. Overall it was an 11-4 scoring run. Echter and Alexis Dacosta combined for seven kills from there as Fulshear finished the set on a 12-8 spurt and won, 25-18.
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Fulshear slowly but surely built up a lead throughout the third and final set.
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They posted leads of 6-3 and 11-7 before grabbing a 19-11 lead on an 8-4 scoring run. Tournament MVP Alexis Dacosta then drove home the winning point with her 19th kill of the match to cap it off. Dacosta added 15 digs and one assist to her totals.
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Echter hammered 19 kills, dug out three balls, served up two aces and had one assist while teammate Ava Underwood tallied 10 digs and one assist. Brooklyn Dacosta dished out 43 assists and made 15 digs while serving up an ace, making one block and getting two kills. Rebecca Ferrari had six digs and two aces and Sylar Voskuhl chipped in four kills, a block and a dig.
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Hereford was led by Darcy Dodd (eight ills, 12 digs and two aces), Rainey Aven (15 assists, eight digs, and one kill) and Alyssa Vallejo (10 digs, two assists and one kill).
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