Princeton senior Meghan Gilbert (12) extends her arms to make a pass against McKinney Boyd on Tuesday, Aug. 19. Photo by Victor Tapia / C&S Media
By David Wolman
After struggling in a three-set loss in its District 6-6A opener against McKinney Boyd, the Princeton volleyball team bounced back to earn fifth place at last weekend’s Lady Tiger Varsity Volleyball Tournament in Terrell.
The Lady Panthers were sharp from the get-go, going 5-1 and capping their run with a dominant 25-12, 25-13 triumph over Rowlett.
Princeton’s attack was balanced, with four players recording at least four kills, including a team-high nine by junior Tito Abiba. Junior Klaudia Crane added seven kills in the win, followed by four from senior Storie Wilson. Senior Grace Vrba delivered a standout performance with four kills and five service aces. Sophomore Kinlee Ratliff notched seven digs to pace Princeton’s defensive efforts. Sophomore Juliyana Adams and senior Meghan Gilbert combined for 24 assists.
To open tournament play, Princeton dominated in a 25-7, 25-18 win over Forney, followed with a 17-25, 25-13, 25-12 comeback over Lake Dallas, and closed out the first day with a 25-7, 25-9 rout of Garland.
The only loss of the tournament for the Lady Panthers was a 25-18, 25-19 defeat to Hallsville, but Princeton bounced back to earn a 25-20, 25-12 sweep of Lakeview Centennial before finishing with the win over Rowlett.
Princeton came into last week in search of its first district win in two years. The Lady Panthers nearly overcame an early deficit in the first set and then matched the Lady Broncos point for point early in the second. However, McKinney Boyd used its height advantage to swing the momentum back in its favor, sending the host Lady Panthers to a 25-18, 25-8, 25-17 loss on Aug. 19.
In the first set, McKinney Boyd came out the aggressor, taking advantage of a few errors by the Lady Panthers to race out to an early 8-2 lead. Princeton responded with an 8-5 run to reduce its deficit to 13-10 after a kill by senior Katelyn Crosby.
The Lady Panthers also received a strong effort from Vrba. Five points after Crosby’s kill, Vrba recorded one of her own to bring Princeton within 16-12.
However, McKinney Boyd’s talented front row delivered the final blow. Although Princeton cut what was a 22-14 lead for McKinney Boyd to 22-18 after an Abiba block and a Lady Broncos error, the visitors scored the final three points of the opening set with a block to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five match.
Princeton found a nice offensive rhythm to begin the second set. Vrba opened the action with another kill, and the Lady Panthers took a 3-2 lead after Wilson notched a block. The teams continued to trade points. The Lady Broncos leveled the score at 4-4, but the Lady Panthers retook the lead on the following point after another Crosby kill.
Just as Princeton appeared to be gaining confidence, a few defensive plays by McKinney Boyd turned the tide. The Lady Broncos stifled the Lady Panthers’ offense with three blocks on four points. From there, it was all McKinney Boyd, which closed the set on a 21-3 run to take a commanding 2-0 lead.
In desperate need of a spark, Princeton turned to Vrba. She added four kills in the third set, the last of which cut the deficit to 16-12. The Lady Panthers continued to battle, but a hitting error later in the set proved costly, allowing McKinney Boyd to complete the sweep.
Princeton is scheduled to compete in the Forney ISD Tournament this weekend.
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