Princeton junior Kinlee Ratliff (10) attempts to hit the ball around two JJ Pearce defenders on Friday. Photo by David Wolman / C&S Media
By David Wolman
The Allen Texas Open featured three of the top eight teams in MaxPreps’ national rankings, including No. 3 Cornerstone Christian, No. 6 Prestonwood Christian and No. 8 Allen.
Although Princeton didn’t play any of those three teams, the Lady Panthers still had to navigate a tough field. Head coach Yolanda Beasley said the tough schedule will help prepare her team for the competition that resides in District 6-6A, including Allen.
Princeton finished with a 1-5 record but showed tremendous improvement with its hitting and was strong defensively throughout the two-day tournament.
The Lady Panthers went 0-3 in pool play. Princeton opened with a 25-16, 25-13 loss to Weslaco, fell 25-11, 25-15 to Mansfield, but rallied to force a third set in its next match, though the Lady Panthers came up just short in a 25-21, 25-27, 25-15 loss to JJ Pearce.
Relegated to the challenger bracket, Princeton lost 25-20, 25-9 to Marcus to begin bracket play. However, the Lady Panthers bounced back in a big way, cruising to a 25-13, 25-21 victory over Frisco Lebanon Trail to not only earn their first win of the tournament but to earn another match.
Princeton gave Frisco Heritage all that it could handle a short time later, but the Lady Coyotes strung together a few more scoring runs to earn a 25-21, 25-18 victory over the Lady Panthers.
Princeton competed at Caddo Mills on Tuesday. The final result of the match was unavailable at press time.
The Lady Panthers will travel to Irving MacArthur High School this weekend for the Irving ISD Varsity Volleyball Tournament, which marks the final preseason tournament for Princeton. They will host Community at 5 p.m. Sept. 4 for their final preseason match. Princeton is scheduled to welcome Allen on Sept. 11 for its district opener, set for a 5:30 p.m. start inside Princeton Arena.
Read the full story in the August 27th edition. Stay informed — subscribe to The Princeton Herald.
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