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Trophy Wolves: West wins challenger bracket at Texas Open
BY Kevin Hageland, khageland@starlocalnews.com
The Plano West volleyball team entered the Texas Open envisioning a scenario in which they won four consecutive matches Saturday to capture a trophy.
And while it wasn't in the bracket the Lady Wolves were hoping for, that is precisely what played out as West defeated Eastlake, Rowlett, Katy Seven Lakes and Richardson Pearce en route to the challenger bracket title.
"I know the girls wanted to be in that championship bracket," said Brittany Bridge, West head coach, "but we got a chance to work on things in a less pressure-filled environment. Plus we walked out Saturday with a trophy, so that's definitely a positive as well."
The Lady Wolves defeated Rowlett (25-17, 25-11) in the pool play opener and then bested Bishop Lynch (25-20, 22-25, 25-22), which would advance to the tournament semifinals.
"Bishop Lynch is a very strong team, so that's one of the matches we were focused on coming in," Bridge said. "Plus, that's where (former West hitter) Sarah Bennett is playing now, so I knew the girls would be fired up for that match. And they played like it; we continued to play as a team that digs almost every ball and doesn't make mistakes."
The defensive prowess of seniors Shane Peters, Brianne O'Halloran, sophomore Camryn Vecera and freshman Ania Mlynarczyk was on display in the team's final pool play match, but so was the stout front line of Flower Mound.
"Most teams are outside hitter-based," Bridge said. "And don't get me wrong, Flower Mound has two really good outsides, but they also have a couple of really great middles and we had some trouble adjusting to that.
"Still, it was anyone's match until the end."
In the end it was Flower Mound that grabbed the win (25-18, 23-25, 25-17). West's tour of former District 8-5A teams continued in the crossover match against Hebron, but unfortunately for the Lady Wolves so did the outcome as the Hawks were victorious (25-21, 25-22) to put West in the challenger bracket.
"We had gone through one of the toughest pools in the tournament and been to three twice, so the girls were exhausted by the time we got to that fourth match of the day," Bridge said. "That being said, credit Hebron too because they are another strong middle-based team and that was a good test to see where we need to get better."
The Lady Wolves proved to be markedly better Saturday.
And again, defense was at the forefront.
"Our defense and passing is amazing right now," Bridge said. "We have serve receive percentages that I've never seen here at Plano West."
While the quartet of DSs can take plenty of credit for that, Bridge was also quick to mention senior Brooke Coleman, who is technically a setter, but has been contributing across the board.
"Brooke is playing so well right now," she said. "If she isn't leading a statistical category on this team, then she is second."
Coleman and Company cruised through the first three matches of the challenger bracket Saturday with sweeps of Eastlake (25-14, 25-19), Rowlett (25-22, 25-19) and Seven Lakes (25-13, 25-11) to reach the finals against Pearce.
"It can be hard to come back after a tough loss like we suffered Friday," Bridge said, "but the girls set a new goal and we implemented some new things we wanted to work on along the way. Plus, the bench really helped the team out too by staying fired up and supportive the whole day."
Those elements were needed against the Lady Mustangs.
"Pearce was a scrappier, more consistent team than we'd seen rest of the day," Bridge said. "Plus, they had a couple good outsides, so it was a tough match."
West would counter with its trio of middle blockers as the largely unproven collective of seniors Julia DeVinney, Paige McKiddy and junior Kelly Bennett contributed mightily to the victory over Pearce (25-20, 17-25, 25-16), which resulted in a challenger bracket title and 17th-place overall finish.
"Our blocking has been looking a lot better," Bridge said, "and we've been getting those girls more involved with the hitting too."
While the improvements continue, so will the caliber of West opponent as the team begins play Thursday in the NIKE Pearland Volleyball Classic, largely considered the toughest tournament in the state. The Wolves are seeded No. 19 in the 79-team event and open pool play against Katy Taylor, St. Agnes and Dripping Springs.
"Obviously this is a tough tournament and we want to see what we work on in practice get implemented on the court," Bridge said. "But I also view this weekend as a great team bonding exercise since we will be getting away and all staying in a hotel together. Any time you can do that it can help your team get closer."
Lady Wolves wins in McKinney
West's varsity volleyball team wasn't the only one that finished the weekend with a trophy as the JV Lady Wolves won the McKinney JV Premier Tournament.
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