Plano East senior Salma Abdelhamid (20) and junior Leyna Anderson attempt to block a ball that was hit by Byron Nelson senior Ashlyn Seay during a Class 6A Division I Region I-6A final at Hebron High School on Tuesday night. Photo by Oladipo Awowale / C&S Media
By David Wolman
CARROLLTON – On the bus ride to Hebron High School and even during pregame warmups, Plano East head volleyball coach Sarah Perez said her players were never once intimidated by Byron Nelson’s No. 1 national ranking, 75-match win streak or championship pedigree.
After all, the Lady Panthers took state-ranked and District 6-6A rivals Allen and Plano West to five sets before earning a 3-0 win against Class 6A No. 9 El Paso Eastlake in the Region I-6A Division I semifinals — a win that advanced Plano East to the fourth round of the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
Just like in the previous three rounds, the Lady Panthers played rock-solid defense during Tuesday night’s regional final, especially in the first set. Yet, as much as Plano East made Byron Nelson work to earn its points, the Lady Panthers couldn’t match the offensive efficiency of the Lady Bobcats in a season-ending 3-0 loss (25-18, 25-12, 25-17).
“We prepared. We were ready,” Perez said. “We know that we have a really young team. This is a great experience for the younger players. Byron Nelson has a heck of a team. But we didn’t execute the game plan that we wanted to execute today.”
Plano East senior outside hitter Simone Heard laid it all on the line in her final high school match. The future Yellow Jacket began the match with a kill and added four more kills in the set, the last of which reduced what had been a 19-10 Byron Nelson lead to 20-15.
All the while, Plano East was putting on a defensive clinic. The Lady Panthers racked up digs in a hurry — including a pass near the head referee’s chair midway through the set that led to a point — and later dug out several balls on one sequence, leading to a Plano East point.
A couple of attack violations by the Lady Bobcats allowed the Lady Panthers to get within 22-18, but a hitting error by Plano East on the ensuing point swung the momentum back in Byron Nelson’s favor.
“We came in here knowing that we were going to have to rely on our defense,” Perez said. “They really stepped up. This is a good team, and they kept fighting all the way until the end. For as much as it hurts to be done, I’m really proud of the way they played.”
Byron Nelson’s high-powered offense couldn’t be completely slowed despite Plano East’s best efforts. Washington pledge Kylie Kleckner and Rice commit Ashley Seay led the way, combining for 32 kills.
“They have some girls that can swing, and they swing all the time,” Perez said. “They’re aggressive and have a whole team full of girls that will attack the ball. They’re good.”
Byron Nelson came out the more aggressive team in the second set, using an early 6-0 run to take control. Although the Lady Bobcats went on to win the middle frame by 13 points, the Lady Panthers remained afloat thanks to solid all-around play by sophomore middle blocker Jaiden Boutte. She had three kills in the middle frame and multiple blocks, one of which led to a point for Plano East.
“She had an amazing game,” Perez said. “She was hitting. She was blocking. She was swinging. This was one of her best games of the entire season.”
Plano East took just its second lead of the night after junior Leyna Anderson used a slide move to hit the ball off the hands of a Byron Nelson defender to open the third set, but the Lady Bobcats countered with a 6-0 run and never trailed again.
Perez spoke highly of the team’s five seniors — Heard, Emma Reeves, Mari Sias, Megan Nguyen and Salma Abdelhamid — who helped lead Plano East (31-11) to seven playoff wins over the last three seasons.
“They walked into a 2-12, 0-14 program, and in four years, they’ve totally flipped the program on its head and got us to the fourth round for the first time in 17 years,” Perez said. “They came in and set the tone and culture and bought into what we wanted to do. They’ve elevated the program to where this is what we strive for.”