Sports Update
Four for Four: Lady Titans eliminate Heritage for season sweep
BY CHRIS O'DELL, codell@starlocalnews.com
FRISCO -- Centennial and Heritage have become quite familiar with one another during the course of the 2012 season.
The two teams met three times during the regular season, with the Lady Titans earning victories in each match.
That trend continued Tuesday night at Wakeland, as Centennial earned a straight-set sweep (25-16, 25-18, 25-14) in the area-round meeting between the two District 9-4A foes.
"Both of us knew each other really well," said Kari Bensend, Centennial head coach. "We knew it would be a very hard game."
Centennial (37-9, 13-1) began the night with a dominant opening set that showed why the Lady Titans won yet another district title this season.
The first five points of the match went to the Lady Titans before Heritage staged a small comeback to get within 7-4.
Sophomore Micaya White quickly put an end to Heritage's momentum by giving the Lady Titans a 15-4 lead with two of her game-high 12 kills leading to an eight-point run.
"[White] had a really nice offensive game," Bensend said. "We needed that from her."
Despite a late push from the Lady Coyotes in the opening set, Centennial eventually prevailed for a 25-16 victory to set the tone for the entire night.
Heritage junior Ericka Timberlake then gave her team an early lead in the second set before Centennial sophomore Lexi MacLean returned the favor.
Despite falling behind 4-2 after the first six points, the Lady Titans knotted the set at 9-9 before MacLean added one of her six kills to put Centennial in the lead.
That momentum would carry the Lady Titans for the remainder of the set, as White put the Lady Coyotes away behind the service line.
"The entire team had a nice night serving," Bensend said. "Offensively, everyone did their job."
A 25-18 win in the second set put the Lady Titans in commanding position and the Lady Coyotes on the brink of elimination.
It was a situation Heritage had been in before throughout the season and come through with comeback victories. That experience allowed the Lady Coyotes to take a 3-0 lead after an ace from senior Kayla Herbert and one of Timberlake's four kills.
White played spoiler to the Lady Coyotes once again and ended any mounting momentum by using a pair of her 12 kills to give Centennial a 7-0 run for a four-point lead.
MacLean followed White's dominance by adding three aces in a span that gave the Lady Titans a 15-6 advantage.
Centennial would eventually take a 22-9 lead in the set before back-to-back kills from Heritage senior Irasema Salinas made it a 22-12 affair.
That's when the Lady Titans put the match away for good with a kill from senior outside hitter Kalyn Paris putting the Lady Titans one point away from victory before MacLean sealed the deal with one of her two blocks on the night.
"It's hard to beat somebody four times," Bensend said. "It just is."
MacLean's block gave Centennial a 25-14 victory in the third set and kept the Lady Titans unbeaten in all postseason sets.
Heritage's season ends after becoming a third seed in the playoffs with a 9-5 mark against District 9-4A counterparts.
Meanwhile, the Lady Titans will advance into a regional semifinals match against perennial state-contender Lucas Lovejoy.
"It's going to be tough," Bensend said. "The kids are excited and it should be fun if we can stick to our game plan."
The playoff showdown is set for Friday at Berkner High School. However, the time of the match had not been determined as of press time.
The two teams met three times during the regular season, with the Lady Titans earning victories in each match.
That trend continued Tuesday night at Wakeland, as Centennial earned a straight-set sweep (25-16, 25-18, 25-14) in the area-round meeting between the two District 9-4A foes.
"Both of us knew each other really well," said Kari Bensend, Centennial head coach. "We knew it would be a very hard game."
Centennial (37-9, 13-1) began the night with a dominant opening set that showed why the Lady Titans won yet another district title this season.
The first five points of the match went to the Lady Titans before Heritage staged a small comeback to get within 7-4.
Sophomore Micaya White quickly put an end to Heritage's momentum by giving the Lady Titans a 15-4 lead with two of her game-high 12 kills leading to an eight-point run.
"[White] had a really nice offensive game," Bensend said. "We needed that from her."
Despite a late push from the Lady Coyotes in the opening set, Centennial eventually prevailed for a 25-16 victory to set the tone for the entire night.
Heritage junior Ericka Timberlake then gave her team an early lead in the second set before Centennial sophomore Lexi MacLean returned the favor.
Despite falling behind 4-2 after the first six points, the Lady Titans knotted the set at 9-9 before MacLean added one of her six kills to put Centennial in the lead.
That momentum would carry the Lady Titans for the remainder of the set, as White put the Lady Coyotes away behind the service line.
"The entire team had a nice night serving," Bensend said. "Offensively, everyone did their job."
A 25-18 win in the second set put the Lady Titans in commanding position and the Lady Coyotes on the brink of elimination.
It was a situation Heritage had been in before throughout the season and come through with comeback victories. That experience allowed the Lady Coyotes to take a 3-0 lead after an ace from senior Kayla Herbert and one of Timberlake's four kills.
White played spoiler to the Lady Coyotes once again and ended any mounting momentum by using a pair of her 12 kills to give Centennial a 7-0 run for a four-point lead.
MacLean followed White's dominance by adding three aces in a span that gave the Lady Titans a 15-6 advantage.
Centennial would eventually take a 22-9 lead in the set before back-to-back kills from Heritage senior Irasema Salinas made it a 22-12 affair.
That's when the Lady Titans put the match away for good with a kill from senior outside hitter Kalyn Paris putting the Lady Titans one point away from victory before MacLean sealed the deal with one of her two blocks on the night.
"It's hard to beat somebody four times," Bensend said. "It just is."
MacLean's block gave Centennial a 25-14 victory in the third set and kept the Lady Titans unbeaten in all postseason sets.
Heritage's season ends after becoming a third seed in the playoffs with a 9-5 mark against District 9-4A counterparts.
Meanwhile, the Lady Titans will advance into a regional semifinals match against perennial state-contender Lucas Lovejoy.
"It's going to be tough," Bensend said. "The kids are excited and it should be fun if we can stick to our game plan."
The playoff showdown is set for Friday at Berkner High School. However, the time of the match had not been determined as of press time.
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