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Change of Plans: Lady Panthers unable to revive playoff hopes in 2012
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
The Plano East volleyball team entered the 2012 season not only with aspirations of a playoff berth but a possible shot at the District 10-5A Championship if things broke right.
The expectations and ensuing results didn't exactly coalesce, with the Lady Panthers among the two teams left outside the district's playoff picture.
"If you look at the overall record, that would be a regression," said Steven Jones, East head coach. "We felt like we could be the second-seeded team in this district with the number of returners we had and just the way we were playing at the time.
In August, the Lady Panthers had plenty working in their favor.
The squad returned all but three players from the 2011 playoff team, including the core of seniors Kayla Burling, Sammy Myers, Gabby Litwin and junior McKenzie Shea. Coupled with the play of juniors Maggie Becker, Brianna Blagowsky and senior Symone Stephenson, continuity and chemistry was on East's side and strong runs through the Duncanville Tournament of Champions and NIKE Pearland Volleyball Classic only bolstered that enthusiasm.
"We were really excited," Jones said. "We had a good preseason and played against a lot of the toughest teams in the state. We fared well and competed in every match."
The Lady Panthers carried their momentum into a nip-and-tuck 10-5A opener against an upstart Allen squad that saw East rally from an 0-2 deficit to turn away the Lady Eagles in five sets. Another 3-2 nail-biter over McKinney followed and, in a sport of peaks and valleys, the elation of the 2-0 start to district would be the high point of the Lady Panthers' run through 10-5A.
A 3-1 loss to Plano Senior followed and set the tone for a losing skid that saw East drop seven of its final eight district matches.
In a sport where just six players share half the floor, health is all the more vital.
It's also something out of the hands of the participants involved and East was done no favors on that front when junior Lily Porsa sustained an ankle injury during the game-day practice prior to the McKinney match. Despite seeing limited time as a sophomore, Porsa's versatility as both an outside hitter and defender made her as integral to East's prospects.
When Porsa went down, it essentially opened up two positions, Jones said.
"You never want to blame anything on injuries because they're part of the sport," he added. "It's just unfortunate that we just weren't the same team after that and didn't compete on the same level. We just didn't adjust."
The rest of the district did.
Chiefly Allen, which became East's biggest competition for the district's final playoff spot. The Lady Eagles evened the count by besting the Lady Panthers, 3-1, on Oct. 9 with four matches remaining. Allen went 2-2 in that stretch while East went 1-3 with a last-gasp hope to force a play-in game falling by the wayside after dropping a 3-0 decision to Plano West in the season finale.
"It was a team thing," Jones said. "As a team, we didn't execute or finish and that's what it all came down to. It can't be thinking about what could have been and that's what I think was hard for our team because they know how good this team can be."
It was an especially unsettling finish for the East seniors, many of whom have been with Jones since the start.
"These seniors were the girls I brought up to varsity when I came to East three years ago," Jones said. "They've been with me for the last three years and they've helped change the atmosphere of this program."
With Burling, Myers, Litwin and Stephenson among those set to graduate, the areas to replace are much greater than they've been in previous years under Jones.
Shea, Blagowsky, Porsa and Becker headline the eight players slated to return for East as the team begins its build toward restoring its previous form during the offseason.
"With a lot of girls graduating, we're focused on getting our team established," Jones said. "With a lot of spots opening up, there are a lot of opportunities for these girls to show their stuff. It's about getting in there and working hard and trying to prove to ourselves again that we can be one of the best programs in the city, if not the state."
For continued news and coverage on the local sports scene, follow @MWelchSCN on Twitter.
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