Wylie sophomore setter Berkeley Weidinger, pictured in previous action, helped to lead the Lady Pirates to fifth place in the Arete Cup with a 4-2 record. Photo by Elijah Kloepping / C&S Media

By David Wolman

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The Wylie and Wylie East volleyball teams tested their strength against top regional competition over the weekend, competing in the Varsity Arete Cup in McKinney.

Wylie turned in a strong effort to earn fifth place with a record of 4-2. The Lady Pirates began tournament play with a victory over Frisco Lebanon Trail (25-21, 25-19, 25-12) and lost to Plano in three sets (25-17, 25-23, 16-25) to conclude pool play. 

Wylie bounced back on the second day to finish 3-1 in gold bracket play. The Lady Pirates rallied to defeat Celina in three sets (20-25, 25-18, 25-20), cruised past Prosper Rock Hill (25-14, 25-23) in their next match, then lost to Prosper Walnut Grove (25-18, 24-26, 25-17) but finished the tournament with a victory against Denton Guyer (25-18, 25-17).

Julia Hudgins recorded 59 kills to pace Wylie’s offense, followed by 37 kills from Keelyn Green, 35 by Aubrey DeGrate and 24 from Peyton Stade. Jolene Bao powered Wylie’s defensive efforts with 77 digs. Olivia Royal dished out 78 assists and Berkeley Weidinger had 68 assists. 

A few days after a stunning loss to Garland, Wylie East bounced back to earn 11^th place in the Varsity Arete Cup with a 3-3 record. The Lady Raiders dominated Pinkston (25-4, 25-10) and Celina (25-15, 25-16) to begin tournament play before concluding with a setback to eventual tournament champion Frisco Liberty (25-11, 25-11). Wylie East showed a lot of resiliency to begin gold bracket play with a three-set win over Frisco Lebanon Trail (10-25, 25-12, 25-16) but lost each of their last two matches, falling to Sunnyvale (25-16, 25-12) and Tyler Legacy (25-15, 25-17).