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Volleyball: Marcus has no problem dispatching of Plano East
By Damon Sayles, DSayles@acnpapers.com dsayles@acnpapers.com
PLANO – For the Marcus volleyball team, being at the top as the second half of District 8-5A gets underway has its pros and cons.
Major pro: The Lady Marauders are slightly closer to clinching a postseason berth than the rest of the competition, sans an Allen team that is currently tied with Marcus in the standings.
Major con: Every team in the district, from top to bottom, will play Marcus as if the district showdown is a state championship match.
The experience of the Lady Marauders, however, proved to be too much in the end.
Marcus won a tough second game and dominated in the third, cakewalking its way to a 25-13, 25-20, 25-10 victory at East’s Archie E. McAfee Gymnasium. The Lady Marauders, fresh off a five-set loss to Hebron on Friday, improved to 7-1 in district play and kept a one-game lead in the standings over Plano West and Hebron. Allen topped Plano Senior in its matchup to stay even with the Lady Marauders.
“This is one of the toughest districts in the state, and they know they can’t be thinking one or two games ahead,” said Cristie Liles, Marcus head coach, following the match. “Any team in the district can knock off everybody, and if you don’t have your game face on, you could have an oopsie.”
East (2-6 in district) played with intensity, and Marcus matched that with composure, primarily on the defensive end. The Lady Marauders stayed in points throughout the first two games with nice digs and a will to never give up on any opportunities.
Marcus also won points thanks to its net play on defense, which was led by senior Katie Neisler and juniors Lauren Douglass and Liz Fortado. The trio of 6-footers – Douglass is 6-2, and Fortado is 6-3 – frustrated East by blocking several kill attempts and altering shots to give the Lady Marauders important offensive chances.
“Friday’s game (against Hebron) was a little quicker pace, but I thought we did a good job of holding on our blocks,” Liles said. “We had to make some defensive adjustments. I thought we passed pretty well, too.”
Marcus pulled away from East in Game 1 by outscoring the Lady Panthers, 15-6, in the final 21 points. Fortado finished the game with a kill.
Game 2 was much tougher, as East battled back from a six-point deficit midway through to trail, 15-14. Marcus, however, turned up its energy by stretching its lead to six, and junior Rachel Hampton ended the game with a kill.
“We were right there with them. A point here and a call here, and we’re with them,” said Steven Jones, East head coach of the second game. “We were playing like a team that is hungry and wants to compete. We’re looking forward to proving ourselves down the stretch.”
The Lady Marauders smelled blood after the second game and played near-flawless volleyball in Game 3. Marcus led, 21-6, at one stage of the final game.
“We communicated a lot more and started stronger,” Liles said of Game 3. “We came in with a lot more confidence. We were ready to finish it.”
Douglass had eight kills, and Neisler and Fortado each had six kills for Marcus, which will host in-town rival Flower Mound on Friday. Sophomore Kayla Burling led East with seven kills, and junior Kendall Yoes had 10 digs.
“Plano East is a good, hustling team. They’re scrappy,” Liles said. “The second round of district gets even more competitive. Everybody’s gunning for you, and they know that. If I have to say a whole lot, we’re in trouble.”
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