Wylie East junior Landry Titsworth jumps in the air for a hitting attempt during Tuesday’s home match against Rowlett. Titsworth finished with six kills. Photo by Elijah Kloepping / C&S Media
By Mark Saldana
Wylie East wasted little time setting the tone Tuesday night, sweeping Rowlett in dominant fashion, 25-9, 25-11, 25-8, in a District 9-6A matchup.
The Lady Raiders (11-16, 4-4) jumped ahead early in the opening set and never looked back. After Rowlett scored the first point, Wylie East rattled off seven of the next nine, highlighted by a powerful kill from Norah Hicks that forced a timeout at 7-3.
Outside hitter Tess Adamic followed with a pair of sharp kills to stretch the lead to 11-4 and later 19-6. Sadie Green-Sustaire’s ace pushed the Lady Raiders to set point before they closed out a lopsided 25-9 win.
Momentum carried into the second set. Landry Titsworth sparked a 2-0 start with a kill, and an ace by Reagan Johnson extended the lead to 11-5. Rowlett struggled with miscues while Wylie East’s defense held firm. Another Titsworth kill made it 18-9, prompting a Rowlett timeout, but the Lady Raiders stayed steady and finished the set 25-11.
Set three was similar as Wylie East opened 2-0, then Rileigh Brown drilled a kill to make it 10-3. Hicks later capped a 19-5 run with another kill, and the Lady Raiders closed the sweep 25-8.
Brown led Wylie East with 10 kills, while Hicks dished out 30 assists to keep the offense in rhythm. Green-Sustaire anchored the back row with 12 digs.
“I’m really proud of how we came out and set the tone right away,” Wylie East head coach Tasha Hallam said. “We played a clean game, served aggressively and stayed disciplined on defense. That’s the kind of start we were looking for.”
“This was a big district win for us,” Hallam added. “We’ve been trying to stay focused in district play, and pretty much every game from here on out matters big time. Getting a sweep like this brings us confidence as we head into the second half of district play.”
The victory helped Wylie East climb to .500 in district play at the midpoint of the 9-6A schedule. It also showcased the team’s growth since the start of the season, as the Lady Raiders relied on disciplined defense and balanced attacking to control the pace.
Rowlett, meanwhile, struggled to find offensive consistency and fell behind early in each set. The Lady Eagles couldn’t match Wylie East’s energy at the net or overcome a string of unforced errors.
The Lady Raiders will look to keep their momentum rolling as they battle for a playoff spot down the stretch of District 9-6A play.
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