A new year with a new team, the Wylie Pirates volleyball team kicked off its 2021 season.

In the opening week, Wylie came out with seven wins and two losses over the week. Starting on the road at Richardson on Aug. 10, Wylie played Mesquite Horn and Richardson in a doubleheader.

The reigning regional finalists opened the season with a win over Horn in four sets, winning 25-21, 25-22, 13-25 and 27-25. Wylie was able to outlast the Jaguars, who committed 23 attacking errors and five service errors in the match.

The second match for Wylie proved not as successful, as Richardson won in five sets, holding off the Pirates’ comeback. Despite falling behind twice in the match after the first and third sets, Wylie continued to battle back, but ultimately fell 15-25, 25-19, 20-25, 25-21 and 10-15.

That led the Pirates to the Garland ISD volleyball tournament on Aug. 13 and 14, with all matches taking place over two days in a best two out of three formats. Wylie got off to a strong start in pool play, knocking off Eastlake El Paso 24-26, 27-25 and 25-15 in three sets. The Pirates followed that up with two more wins, winning their pool and qualifying for the champions bracket with a two-set win over Mesquite Poteet and Tatum in three sets, coming back again to win 20-25, 25-13 and 25-14.

After a strong start, Wylie will continue its season on the road at the Berkner volleyball tournament on Aug. 20 and 21. They’ll get their first home game on Aug. 24, when the Pirates will christen the new Montgomery Center against McKinney North at 6:30 p.m.

For the full story, see the August 18 issue or subscribe online.

By Kyle Grondin • [email protected]