Wylie East libero Sadie Green-Sustaire makes a pass in serve-receive at Prestonwood Christian Academy on Monday, Aug. 11. Photo by Oladipo Awowale / C&S Media
By David Wolman
First-year Wylie East head volleyball coach Tasha Hallam purposely put together a tough preseason schedule for the Lady Raiders with the hopes of preparing her squad for all of the pressure situations that they will face in the playoffs.
The competition was particularly fierce last week.
The Lady Raiders began the season with a hard-fought 3-2 (25-22, 15-25, 25-20, 16-25, 9-15) loss against three-time defending TAPPS state champion Prestonwood Christian Academy on Aug. 11.
Last weekend, Wylie East made the drive to Argyle to compete in the Sawyer Camillo Memorial Tournament. The Lady Raiders faced three of the top teams in Class 5A Division II from last season. Wylie East began play with a 3-1 (25-19, 19-25, 25-18, 25-16) setback against Frisco Reedy, a regional finalist a year ago. Last Friday, Wylie East finished strong in a 3-0 (25-15, 25-11, 25-23) setback against defending state champion Frisco Wakeland. To conclude tournament play, the Lady Raiders pushed Argyle to the limit but came up just short in a 3-2 (21-25, 25-9, 25-18, 22-25, 15-6) loss to the Lady Eagles.
“We played a lot of different people in a lot of different positions, and everyone stepped on the court and did their job when called upon,” Hallam said. “I am really impressed by our composure on the court with the number of upperclassmen that we have.”
Senior setter Jordan Turner was named to the all-tournament team.
“It was well-deserved,” Hallam said. “She is running the offense for this team. She is the calm and steady presence that we need on the court.”
Hallam earned her first win as Wylie East head coach on Tuesday when the Lady Raiders cruised to a 3-0 win over North Garland.
Wylie East is competing this weekend at the Northwest ISD Invitational.
The Lady Raiders will host Garland on Tuesday, Aug. 26 at 6:30 p.m. from the Williams Center.
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