Sports > Schools
Upset alert: Frisco eliminates Highland Park, advances to regional semifinals
BY Chris O’Dell, codell@starlocalnews.com
Highland Park entered Tuesday night’s match against Frisco as a one seed after tallying a 14-0 mark against District 10-4A counterparts.
The Lady Scots also won every set through their first two postseason matches before the regional quarterfinals meeting against the Lady Raccoons at Richardson.
Apparently no one told Frisco, as the Lady Raccoons earned a convincing 3-1 victory (28-26, 23-25, 25-17, 25-22) to eliminate Highland Park from playoff contention and advance another round.
“They went out there with a determination that they haven’t shown before,” said Janie Litchford, Frisco head coach.
Frisco was led by junior Kaitlyn Kearney, who finished with a team-high 14 kills and two solo blocks.
“All of my girls are playing great volleyball right now,” Litchford said.
Senior Allie Evans added 11 kills of her own while freshman Lizzie Stephens tallied 15 digs in the game.
The victory improved Frisco’s season mark to 34-8 after going 11-3 in district play. Litchford said navigating through a tough 9-4A slate has made the postseason easier on her team.
“Our district is a very competitive district,” she said. “That’s played a big role for us in the playoffs.”
The Lady Raccoons have now won seven consecutive matches with an Oct. 9 loss to Heritage as the last hiccup. That success has allowed Frisco to make quick work of its playoff opponents, winning by a combined score of 9-1.
“We have gelled at the right time,” Litchford said. “We haven’t gelled too early and we’re playing like we need to play.”
Tuesday night’s victory against Highland Park gave Frisco a regional semifinals meeting with Waxahachie. The two teams will square off at Richardson Berkner tonight at 5 p.m. with the winner taking on either Frisco Centennial or Lovejoy in a Saturday finals match.
“[Waxahachie] is a very good volleyball team,” Litchford said. “We have to limit our unforced errors to stay in the game with them.”
The two teams met during the regular season with Waxahachie earning a 3-1 victory (25-22, 25-22, 19-25, 25-11) in a Denton Ryan Tournament match. One thing the Lady Raccoons won’t have to worry about during the second meeting is the team’s health.
“We’ve been in a situation where we’ve had girls sick and had girls hurt,” Litchford said. “Right now, everybody is healthy and ready to go.”
Just two victories away from reaching the state tournament, Litchford said her team is more than capable of advancing to Garland.
“We know we’re capable of beating anyone,” she said. “We just need to play the game that we need to play.”
The Lady Scots also won every set through their first two postseason matches before the regional quarterfinals meeting against the Lady Raccoons at Richardson.
Apparently no one told Frisco, as the Lady Raccoons earned a convincing 3-1 victory (28-26, 23-25, 25-17, 25-22) to eliminate Highland Park from playoff contention and advance another round.
“They went out there with a determination that they haven’t shown before,” said Janie Litchford, Frisco head coach.
Frisco was led by junior Kaitlyn Kearney, who finished with a team-high 14 kills and two solo blocks.
“All of my girls are playing great volleyball right now,” Litchford said.
Senior Allie Evans added 11 kills of her own while freshman Lizzie Stephens tallied 15 digs in the game.
The victory improved Frisco’s season mark to 34-8 after going 11-3 in district play. Litchford said navigating through a tough 9-4A slate has made the postseason easier on her team.
“Our district is a very competitive district,” she said. “That’s played a big role for us in the playoffs.”
The Lady Raccoons have now won seven consecutive matches with an Oct. 9 loss to Heritage as the last hiccup. That success has allowed Frisco to make quick work of its playoff opponents, winning by a combined score of 9-1.
“We have gelled at the right time,” Litchford said. “We haven’t gelled too early and we’re playing like we need to play.”
Tuesday night’s victory against Highland Park gave Frisco a regional semifinals meeting with Waxahachie. The two teams will square off at Richardson Berkner tonight at 5 p.m. with the winner taking on either Frisco Centennial or Lovejoy in a Saturday finals match.
“[Waxahachie] is a very good volleyball team,” Litchford said. “We have to limit our unforced errors to stay in the game with them.”
The two teams met during the regular season with Waxahachie earning a 3-1 victory (25-22, 25-22, 19-25, 25-11) in a Denton Ryan Tournament match. One thing the Lady Raccoons won’t have to worry about during the second meeting is the team’s health.
“We’ve been in a situation where we’ve had girls sick and had girls hurt,” Litchford said. “Right now, everybody is healthy and ready to go.”
Just two victories away from reaching the state tournament, Litchford said her team is more than capable of advancing to Garland.
“We know we’re capable of beating anyone,” she said. “We just need to play the game that we need to play.”
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