Bishop Lynch volleyball fans got their first look at the team in a home match this season, with the Lady Friars (8-3) hosting both McKinney Boyd and Plano West on Tuesday.
All four BL teams earned wins over the Lady Broncos while the varsity and junior varsity squads split their matches against Plano West.
The Lady Friars took the first set against Boyd, but found themselves on the brink of losing their home opener as the Lady Broncos rebounded to win the next two sets. However, Tricia Roos’ squad displayed their resilience, taking the last two sets, including a back-and-forth affair in the fifth and deciding set.
Bishop Lynch wound up taking the match by a 3-2 score (25-22, 22-25, 13-25, 25-19, 18-16).
After an exhausting first match, the Lady Friars ran out of steam against a Plano West team with fresh legs, losing 3-1 (27-25, 22-25, 25-17, 25-18).
“I think the varsity played well, but in the end, playing nine sets in one night and having some kids slightly injured from the last week was tough and definitely impacted our performance,” Roos said. “I’m proud of how the girls have started the season and I think if we can rest today and tomorrow, we’ll have a great tournament this weekend in Allen.”
In the match against Boyd, Callie Williams had 27 assists, 12 digs and served three aces, Madi Tyus smashed 13 kills to go with 10 digs, Francesca Goncalves added 11kills and 10 digs and Catherine Balido had 10 kills. Melanie Heigele chipped in 15 assists with 11 digs and Danielle Nevitt had 10 digs.
Against Plano West, Williams led the way with 22 assists, 13 digs and three aces, Goncalves smashed a team-high 16 kills and Morgan Hinds added 12 digs. Madi Tyus also registered 10 kills.
In JV action, the Lady Friars swept Boyd with scores of 25-17 and 25-19. Natalie Bennett led the team with 11 kills, Kenzie Colvin added nine kills and Elizabeth Moreland put down five kills. The JV girls also beat Plano West, led by Bennett’s 14 kills, Colvin’s six kills and another nine from Moreland.
The sophomore ladies topped Vines (Plano) by scores of 25-22 and 25-18. The freshman team also swept Vines, 25-21 and 25-23. Emma Brockman (15 assists) and Brittany Bell (six kills) paced the freshmen.
The varsity will be back in action Friday when pool play begins at the Allen ISD Texas Open. The Lady Friars will face West Mesquite and Frisco Centennial, then get a shot at redemption against Plano West in pool play Friday.
The JV will compete Saturday in the McKinney Tournament, while the sophomore and freshman teams are off until next Tuesday.
— Cliff Gibson, Sports Information Director