HP Sweeps Pearce, Claims District Title
By Michael Finnegan / Special Contributor
With the District 10-6A championship on the line, Highland Park beat visiting Richardson Pearce in straight sets on Tuesday, 25-16, 28-26, 25-14.
The Lady Scots (39-6, 14-0) finished an undefeated run through the district schedule and will carry plenty of momentum into a Class 6A Region II bi-district playoff match next week against either Skyline or W.T. White.
“We are playing very well and we’re all upbeat,” said HP head coach Michael Dearman. “I’m feeling confident going into the postseason.”
HP had little trouble in the first set, going up early 11-5 and leading by double digits for most of the set before Madeline Ngo served it out with an ace.
The Lady Scots found themselves in trouble in the second set, trailing 24-15 before Greer Gordon got her chance to serve.
Gordon held serve nine times to even the score at 25-25. After Elizabeth Gilley’s kill, the Lady Scots went ahead 27-26 and then Gilley served out the set as HP took a commanding 2-0 advantage.
“Without the spectacular serving of Greer in that crucial second set, we would have never came back in that one,” Dearman said. “She was sensational.”
The Lady Scots cruised through the third set to complete a season sweep of the Mustangs. Gilley’s kill put HP up 12-5, and behind more pinpoint serving from Jordan Westendorff, the Lady Scots closed out the match.
“I told them not to look at the scoreboard when we were so far down in that second set,” said Dearman. “Even if we had lost that set, I wanted confidence and momentum heading into the third set.”
