Princeton volleyball team players raise their hands in the air after a timeout during a recent road match at Prosper. Photo by David Wolman / C&S Media
By David Wolman
The Princeton Lady Panthers couldn’t have asked for a better start to last Friday’s home match against McKinney Boyd.
Powerful attacks and accurate serving helped Princeton build an early lead. However, the Lady Panthers couldn’t sustain that momentum as McKinney Boyd used long scoring runs and hard-hitting attacks to take control. The Lady Broncos never relented, handing Princeton a 25-14, 25-5, 25-12 loss at Princeton Arena.
Princeton seized the early momentum when miscommunication between two McKinney Boyd players on a pass gave the Lady Panthers the opening point. Senior Nina Ojekhoa followed with a service ace to make it 2-0. Junior Kinlee Ratliff recorded a kill shortly afterward, and sophomore Alexis Osaghae added a powerful kill up the middle to give Princeton a 6-2 lead.
The Lady Panthers continued to find openings in the McKinney Boyd defense.
Junior Damera Owens rose for a kill to give Princeton an 11-9 lead, and Ojekhoa added a kill of her own to extend the advantage to 12-10.
After McKinney Boyd took its first lead of the match with an ace, Princeton answered immediately. Osaghae’s kill tied the set at 13-13.
From there, however, the first set belonged to the Lady Broncos. McKinney Boyd closed on a 12-1 run, capped by a kill from senior Kamryn Wood on set point.
Princeton never led in the second set. The Lady Panthers struggled in serve-receive and had few answers for McKinney Boyd sophomore Ashley Ruschill, who served nine consecutive points as the Lady Broncos turned a competitive opening into a rout.
A kill by Princeton senior Tito Abiba briefly stopped the run, but McKinney Boyd closed the set with an 11-3 surge to take a commanding two-sets-to-none lead.
Looking to avoid a sweep on their home court, the Lady Panthers played with greater urgency in the third set.
Ojekhoa opened with a service ace, and a mishandled pass by McKinney Boyd on the next point gave Princeton a quick 2-0 advantage.
Despite the promising start, Princeton continued to struggle with Ruschill’s serve. The sophomore served nine consecutive points to help the Lady Broncos build a 9-2 lead.
The Lady Panthers refused to give in. Abiba’s kill pulled Princeton within 10-6, and a McKinney Boyd hitting error later trimmed the deficit to 12-10.
But whenever Princeton threatened to make a comeback, the Lady Broncos responded with another scoring run. Junior Trinity Johnson helped McKinney Boyd regain control and create separation.
Princeton fought off one match point with a kill by Jalyn Mosley, but the Lady Broncos completed the sweep with a kill on the next point.
Earlier in the week, Princeton got off to a strong start against a revamped Allen lineup, but the state-ranked Lady Eagles proved too much in a 25-20, 25-13, 25-15 victory on Oct. 6.
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