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Four for Four: Lady Titans eliminate Heritage for season sweep
BY Chris O’Dell, codell@starlocalnews.com
FRISCO – Centennial and Heritage have become quite familiar with one another during the course of the 2012 season.
The two teams met three times during the regular season, with the Lady Titans earning victories in each match.
That trend continued Tuesday night at Wakeland, as Centennial earned a straight-set sweep (25-16, 25-18, 25-14) in the regional quarterfinal meeting between the two District 9-4A foes.
Centennial (37-9, 13-1) began the night with a dominant opening set that showed why the Lady Titans won yet another district title this season. The first five points of the match went to the Lady Titans before Heritage staged a small comeback to get within 7-4. Sophomore Micaya White quickly put an end to Heritage's momentum by giving the Lady Titans a 15-4 lead with two of her game-high 12 kills leading to an eight-point run.
"[White] had a really nice offensive game," Bensend said. "We needed that from her."
Despite a late push from the Lady Coyotes in the opening set, Centennial prevailed for a 25-16 victory to set the tone for the night.
Heritage junior Ericka Timberlake then gave her team an early lead in the second set before Centennial sophomore Lexi MacLean returned the favor. Despite falling behind after the first six points, 4-2, the Lady Titans knotted the set at 9-9 before MacLean added one of her six kills to put Centennial in the lead. That momentum would carry the Lady Titans for the remainder of the set, as White put the Lady Coyotes away behind the service line.
"The entire team had a nice night serving," Bensend said. "Offensively, everyone did their job."
A 25-18 win in the second set put the Lady Titans in commanding position and the Lady Coyotes on the brink of elimination.
It was a situation Heritage had been in throughout the season and come through with comeback victories. That experience allowed the Lady Coyotes to take a 3-0 lead after an ace from senior Kayla Herbert and one of Timberlake's four kills.
White played spoiler to the Lady Coyotes once again and ended any mounting momentum by using a pair of her 12 kills to give Centennial a 7-0 run for a four-point lead. MacLean followed White's dominance by adding three aces in a span that gave the Lady Titans a 15-6 advantage.
Centennial eventually took a 22-9 lead in the set before back-to-back kills from Heritage senior Irasema Salinas made it 22-12.
That's when the Lady Titans asserted themselves once more with a kill from senior outside hitter Kalyn Paris that put the Lady Titans one point away from victory before MacLean sealed the deal with one of her two solo blocks on the night.
"It's hard to beat somebody four times," Bensend said. "It just is."
MacLean's block gave Centennial a 25-14 victory in the third set and kept the Lady Titans unbeaten in all postseason sets.
Heritage's season ends after becoming a third seed in the playoffs with a 9-5 mark against District 9-4A counterparts. Meanwhile, the Lady Titans advance into a regional semifinals match against Lovejoy, which is in its first season at Class 4A after winning four straight Class 3A State Championships.
"It's going to be tough," Bensend said. "The kids are excited and it should be fun if we can stick to our game plan."
The playoff showdown is set for 7 p.m. tonight at Richardson Berkner with the finals beginning at 2 p.m. tomorrow.
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