2-time Coach of the Yr and State Semi-Finalist leaves great legacy
January 27, 2010
Coach Sawyer
Varsity Coach Tanessa Sawyer announced last week that she will be leaving Pearce after 7 very successful years as her husband, Brett accepted the athletic director and head football coaching position at Sweeny High School.
Coach Sawyer will be dearly missed by her players, parents and coaching colleagues around the area. At this time, she is undecided if and when she will return to coaching high school volleyball.
We wish the Sawyers all the best with this new and exciting opportunity.
Sullivan Selected to USA Girls Youth National Team
will compete this April in Guatemala
January 02, 2010
Congrats Shelbs!!!!
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Jan. 1, 2010) – The USA Volleyball High Performance Indoor Program named its 12-player U.S. Girls’ Youth National Team (Under-18) roster for 2010, according to U.S. Girls’ Youth National Team Head Coach Jim Stone.
The selected outside hitters/opposites are Jordan Burgess (Tampa, Fla.), Mimi Eugene (Houston), Brittany Howard (Los Altos, Calif.), Angela Lowak (New Braunfels, Texas) and Andie Malloy (Allen, Texas). The middle blockers chosen for the team are Molly McCage (Spring, Texas), Chloe Reinig (Detroit, Mich.) and Shelby Sullivan (Richardson, Texas). The setters are Madison Bugg (Apex, N.C.), Allison Palmer (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and Lauren Sieckmann (Omaha, Neb.). Haley Pouliezos (Imperial, Mo.) was tabbed to the roster as the libero. Due to the versatility of the team’s talent, some of the players may train and compete at multiple positions.
“I am pleased by the level of effort given by all the players,” Stone said. “The attitude of the players was great, and they all tried hard. Now the challenge for the players is to take the information they received this weekend and continue to improve. We will not have any training prior to traveling to Guatemala, so we have to improve in the coming three months on an individual basis.”
The U.S. Girls’ Youth National Training Team members have been training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. Due to the early schedule date for the 2010 NORCECA Girls’ Youth Continental Championship held April 3-11 at Guatemala, the training squad was comprised of the top evaluated rising Select-age athletes from 2009. In most years, the NORCECA event is held in July or August. Typically, the U.S. training team is comprised of the highest evaluated players from the USAV High Performance Tryouts, which are held normally in early February through late April.
The U.S. Girls’ Youth National Team has dominated its FIVB Zone during the NORCECA Continental Championship, which is a qualifying event into the FIVB Girls’ Youth World Championship held in odd-numbered years. Team USA has won the last four biennial NORCECA Girls’ Youth Continental Championship events, including the 2008 title in Puerto Rico.
2010 U.S. Girls’ Youth National Team Roster Player (Pos., Ht, Hometown, Club, Region) Madison Bugg (S, 6-0, Apex, N.C., 2012, Triangle, Carolina) Jordan Burgess (OH, 6-0, Tampa, Fla., 2012, Tampa Bay Juniors, Florida) Mylan “Mimi” Eugene (OH, 5-11, Houston, Texas, 2014, Texas Tornados, Lone Star) Brittany Howard (OH, 6-3, Los Altos, Calif., 2012, Vision, Northern California) Angela Lowak (OH, 6-0, New Braunfels, Texas, 2012, Austin Juniors, Lone Star) Andie Malloy (S/OH, 6-2, Allen, Texas, 2012, Skyline Juniors, North Texas) Molly McCage (MB, 6-3, Spring, Texas, 2012, Texas Team, Lone Star) Allison Palmer (S, 5-9, Laguna Beach, Calif., 2012, Laguna Beach Volleyball Club, Southern California) Haley Pouliezos (L, 5-7, Imperial, Mo., 2012, High Performance, Gateway) Chloe Reinig (MB, 6-4, Detroit, Mich., 2013, Michigan Elite, Lakeshore) Lauren Sieckmann (S, 5-11, Omaha, Neb., 2012, Nebraska Elite, Great Plains) Shelby Sullivan (MB, 6-2, Richardson, Texas, 2012, TAV, North Texas)
Mustangs Honored after Historic Season
December 07, 2009
A Season filled with Great Accomplishments!!!
After a 44-6 season that saw the Lady Mustangs reach the State Tournament for the first time in 31 years, several team members were recognized by the Dallas Morning News and TGCA.
Dallas Morning News:
10-4A All District
1st Team: Elyse Burkert, Haleigh Whittington and Katie O'Brien
2nd Team: Sophie Orlich
Honorable Mention: Elizabeth Wingate and Lauren English
Most Valuable Setter: Caroline Weir
Most Valuable Blocker: Shelby Sullivan
Most Valuable Hitter: Stephanie Holland
Most Valuable Libero: Julie Olschwanger
Coach of the Year: Tanessa Sawyer
Academic: ENTIRE TEAM
All-Area First Team: Julie Olschwanger
TGCA:
All-State: Stephanie Holland and Katie O'Brien
Academic All-State: Elyse Burkert, Sydney Robertson, Julie Olschwanger and Elizabeth Wingate
State All-Tournament Team: Julie Olschwanger
State All-Star Game (July 14th in Arlington): 4A-5A East Team - Julie Olschwanger
Coach Sawyer named Area Coach of the Year
December 03, 2009
Coach Sawyer
Congratulations to Coach Tanessa Sawyer for being named the Dallas Morning News Area Coach of the Year after leading the Mustangs to the State Tournament for the first time in 31 years.
Pearce Falls Short in Semi-Final
21-25, 22-25, 25-27
November 20, 2009
Written by Scott White at LoneStarVolleyball.com
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Brenham rallied from 23-19 down to take game three 27-25 on a blast by Scout Brooks, sweeping Pearce 25-21, 25-22, 27-25 and advancing to Saturday's 4A state championship match against Canyon Randall. (updated 10:30 with photos and stats)
Brenham's Emily Albus (14) drives a shot past the Pearce block of Shelby Sullivan (10) and Elyse Burkert (5) during Thursday's 4A semifinal.
On the verge of watching Pearce force a fourth set, Caroline Young, Brooks, Bethany Yeager and Jill Sikes led a 10-3 Brenham finish to preserve the sweep and send the Cubettes into the title game.
Pearce's Katie O'Brien (16) goes around the block of Brenham's Caroline Young (8) and Kelsey Weynand (3).
Young, who also finished with eight kills, started the comeback with a couple of kills to cut the Pearce lead to 23-21. Stephanie Holland then gave Pearce multiple set points with a blast from the right and it looked as it what had been an intense and entertaining match was going to four sets.
On the Brneham side of the court, however, Scout Brooks had another idea.
Brooks unloaded from the left to cut the lead to 24-22. A Pearce hitting error made it 24-23 and then Jill Stiles blasted an ace and suddenly it was tied at 24 and the Pearce lead had disappeared.
Elyse Burkert, who had 8 kills for Pearce, gave the Mustangs another set point with a shot off the block but that was the last point Pearce would score this season.
Again Brooks unloaded to tie at 25 then Emily Albus exploded on a quick and suddenly Brenham had match point. That was delivered moments later on an explosion by Brooks that sent the Brenham players into a wild celebration and ended the most entertaining and intense match of the day. It was a match that featured power, spectacular defensive saves and a ton of athleic plays all evening.
Coach Yeager of Brenham says she wasn't completely confident they could come back on Pearce in the third set.
"I thought I waited too long to call a timeout," she said. "I blame myself. But I've seen them do this a whole lot of times this year. They like to do that.
The difference, the Yeager said, was "staying focused and keeping our composure. We played a lot of great defense, which we knew we were going to have to do because they are such a good ball club."
Pearce jumped to quick leads in each set, but each time Brenham responded.
Richardson Pearce, winner of the Pearland tournament, came armed for bear or in this case Cubettes as the Mustangs met Brenham in the Class 4A semifinals with the winner advancing to their Saturday contest with Canyon Randall.
The Mustangs may have been arms but the Cubettes showed plenty of claws leading 13-10 in the first game as Pearce struggled with defense kept the smaller Cubettes in the match.
Kelsey Weygand and Scout Brooks kept tipping the taller mustangs, forcing the tempo but Pearce answered with the line of Katie O’Brien, Stephanie Holland and Sophie Orlich, all at least six foot tall.
Pearce closed to 13-14 on a brilliant roll shot by Holland and tied on a failed attack by Brenham. Pearce pulled ahead for the firs time at 15-14 forcing a Brenham timeout as the Cubettes sought an answer to the attacks of the mustangs.
Jacey Lee scored on a kill off block but Pearce answered with a kill by Katie O’Brien. Pearce gave back the point on a lift as Brenham led 17-16. Elyse Burkhart tied the score for Pearce ending a 14 side volley with a kill. Shelby Sullivan then ripped a kill for Pearce to regain the lead at 18-17.
Emily Albus had a block for a Brenham point then served an ace and a Pearce error gave the Cubettes a 20-18 lead. Pearce score on a kill by Sullivan then served wide as Brenham led 21-19 but Pearce answered with a kill by Elyse Burkert. Pearce hit long as Brenham took a 22-20 lead.
Caroline Young re-directed a block off the Pearce defender as Brenham went up 23-20 and Pearce used their second timeout. Pearce ran a slide with Sullivan slamming Pearce point 21 but a Pearce attack error set up a kill for game point by Scout Brooks with a 25-21 Brenham victory.
GAME TWO
Pearce came out quicker then in game one opening a 6-3 lead using their size advantage. Stephanie Holland, Shelby Sullivan and Elyse Burkert had early kills as the Mustangs led 7-4. Brenham rallied on two Pearce errors and a kill by Albus to close with a point at 8-7.
Brenham’s Caroline Young had an overpass kill for the tie but Sullivan’s slide gave Pearce a 9-8 lead. Brenham’s attack sailed wide for point 10 and another back row attack was too long but Pearce had a net serve giving Brenham the ball back trailing 11-9.
Brittany Yeager had a kill together with a Pearce error then a Scout Brooks kill to the opposite lien to knot the game at 12-12. Pearce hit long and trailed 12-13, calling timeout.
The teams continued to volley back and forth with great defensive plays and Brenham easing ahead 17-14. Molly Duge cam on to ace Pearce for an 18-14 lead Holland had a tip for kill but the real difference in the game continued to be the scrambling Brenham defense that continued to play until Pearce made an error.
Brenham went ahead 19-15 on a Pearce attack error. Holland went down line instead of cross and scored with a kill off the defender . Pearce rallied to cut the deficit to 18-19 on kills by Sullivan and Burkert tying the game at 19-19 on a Sullivan kill.
Burkert had a kill off the block for a 20-19 Pearce lead but the Mustangs served into the net to tie the match at 20-20 but Brenham then served into the net giving Pearce the point and service. O’Brien had a kill for Pearce but Young and Yeager answered to tie the score at 22-22.
Pearce hit wide and called timeout trailing 22-23. After an amazing running save by Yeager, Pearce hit wide, then long and Brenham won game two 25-22.
GAME THREE
Facing elimination, Pearce raced to start game three taking an 8-2 lead as the Cubettes were forced ot use na early timeout. The Cubettes fought back with kills by Emily Albus, Scout Brooks and a tip by Kelsey ‘Schwartz as Brenham closed to 9-5 but Pearce scored on a serving error then a return error to take an 11-5 lead.
Brooks raced down the middle for a high lying kill as Brenham scored but Katie O’Brien blasted kill and Olrich blocked a point as Pearce was ahead 13-6.
Two ball handling miscues later Brenham trailed 13-8. Once again, O’Brien went cross court for a kill giving Pearce the 14-8 lead. Burkert came outside and down line for an other Pearce point but the Mustangs served into the net.
Yeager slammed a kill as Brenham pulled within five points at 15-10 then scored on an ace by Schwartz. Pearce got the ball back on a ball return error by Brenham. Yeager had a brilliant flip off the defenders for a Brenham point.
O’Brien (who else) smashed a kill to give Pearce a 17-12 lead but Brooks got a kill for Brenham. Brenham served into the net leaving Pearce ahead 18-13. O’Brien ripped yet another kill as Pearce started to catch the pace that sent them to the championship of the Pearland Invitational.
O’Brien of Pearce and Brooks of Brenham traded kills. Yeager went down the line for a kill for Brenham while Pearce went back to O’Brien who slammed the ball as a body shot off the Brenham defender. Yeager had a roll shot kill but Brenham trailed 21-16 and time was running out
Pearce hit wide but O’Brien was right on the spot and notched another kill. Yeager went backdoor weak side for another kill and Schwartz aced Pearce closing the margin to 22-19 with Pearce calling timeout.
Sophie Olrich had a block kill for Pearce but Young went corner as Brenham trialed 20-23 then Young had a mountain block at the net but Holland smacked a kill for Pearce as the Mustangs led 24-21. Brooks had a kill for Brenham for point 22 and Pearce hit wide for point 23 then called timeout leading 24-23. Jill Sikes then aced Pearce to tie the score but Burkert tooled the block to give Pearce a 25-24 lead .
Scout Brooks answered with a kill for Brenham to tie the match at 25 and Albus sailed over the block to give Brenham the lead at 26-25 and Brooks came right back on the same kill for game and match 27-25.
Saturday, November 21st
Brenham's Yeager and Young and Pearce's Olschwanger were named to the State All-Tournament Team.
Pearce Going to STATE!!!!
beats Red Oak in 5
by 11-25,23-25,25-23,25-22,15-10
November 14, 2009
The 4A Region 2 Final had the feel early on like no other match the Mustangs have played in this year and the Pearce fans were in shock after a 25-11 drubbing at the hands of a very talented and skilled Red Oak team. The Lady Hawks raced out to a 9-0 lead and Pearce called time out trailing 11-1. Things didn't get much better and another time out was called with the Mustangs trailing 15-3. Red Oak's setter and hitter Andrea McQuaid was on fire from every place on the court with 7 kills on 8 swings in the set.
Set #2 was better but the Mustangs were still trying to deal with McQuaid, junior outside hitter Hunter Porter and senior middle blocker Jen Lawson. Red Oak took the lead from 6-5 to 11-5 before Pearce called time out after which the Mustangs rattled off the next 5 points and then the Hawks went on a 6-2 run to widen its lead to 18-12 before another Pearce timeout. A 5-0 run by Pearce eventually got the score at 21-20 Pearce but Red Oak closed out the set with its own 5-2 run and had a commanding 2-0 lead in sets.
One of the few bright spots up to this point was the play of Katie O'Brien who had 7 kills coming from all over the court. On defense, Julie Olschwanger contributed 15 digs in the set.
Pearce finally started out strong in the 3rd set and led 14-11 before the score tied on numerous occasions until the Mustangs took the lead at 21-20 and held on to win the set at 25-23. Katie O'Brien led the way with 7 kills.
The mountain was still very high to climb but you got the sense that these girls would not quit without a fight and fight is what they did. Trailing 6-2, the Mustangs went on 7-1 run to take the lead at 9-7. With Red Oak up 16-13, the season was looking like it was fading away before our eyes but Pearce eventually tied the score at 19 and these two titans traded points until at 22, the Mustangs closed out the set by winning the last three points. Stephanie Holland led the way with 6 kills and a block, Elyse Burkert added 5 kills and 4 digs, Katie O'Brien was good for 4 more kills, Shelby Sullivan had 5 kills and Julie Olschwanger had 12 digs in the set.
One of the most exciting and nerve racking events in volleyball is the fifth set, especially with the stakes being so high. Pearce once again found itself down at 4-1 before winning the next 3. The teams traded points up to 7-7 when the Mustangs went on a 5-0 run to stretch the lead to 12-7. Red Oak won the next two but Pearce closed out the set and match with a Shelby Sullivan blast right down the middle and the celebration was fun to watch. In the fifth and deciding set, Katie O'Brien was huge once again with 5 kills, 3 digs and 1 ace. For the match, she tallied 26 kills, 14 digs and 1 ace. Stephanie Holland chipped in with 14 kills, Elyse Burkert had 11 kills and 14 digs, Shelby Sullivan had 9 kills and 4 blocks and Julie Olschwanger was credited with 37 digs and 2 assists. And let's not forget about our two incredible setters, Caroling Weir (31 assists, 10 digs) and Haleigh Whittington (27 assists, 5 digs, 1 kill, 1 ace)
Pearce Advances to Region Final
sweeps Waxahachie
by 25-10, 25-13, 25-7
November 13, 2009
The Lady Mustangs got off to strong start against the Indians in the Region Semi-Final Friday night at the Garland Special Events Center. Pearce jumped out to a 13-7 lead and increased it to 21-8 before closing the set at 25-10. Katie O'Brien, Shelby Sullivan and Elyse Burkert each had 4 kills to lead the Mustangs.
In set #2, Pearce once again jumped out to a nice lead at 11-4 and 20-10 and finished off the scrappy Indians 25-13. Stephanie Holland and Katie O'Brien each had 3 kills and Julie Olschwanger had 7 digs and 2 aces.
Set #3 was all Pearce as it won the set 25-7. Shelby Sullivan had 4 kills, Stephanie Holland contributed 3 kills and 2 aces and Katie O'Brien added 2 kills, 4 digs and 1 block.
By the time the Pearce crowd settled in to their comfortable seats at the Garland Special Events Center, the Lady Mustangs were down 11-5 to a very loose Frisco Liberty team. After several uncharacteristic Pearce hitting errors, the girls gained their composure and went on a 5-0 run to get back into the set. Pearce called time out trailing 21-19 and the teams trading side outs until the Mustangs tied it at 22. Pearce closed out the set with a 3-1 run and won 25-23. Elyse Burkert led the way with 8 kills.
In the second set, the teams traded points before Pearce took the lead at 9-6 and increased the margin to 22-11 before winning the set 25-13. Stephanie Holland and Katie O'Brien each had 3 kills.
In set #3, the score was tied at 7 before the Mustangs led 12-8 and maintained a 3-5 point lead throughout and won the set 25-18. Elyse Burkert and Katie O'Brien each had 6 kills to lead the Mustang attack.
This match was a total team effort as 5 different Pearce players were credited with assists. Setters Caroline Weir and Haleigh Whittington led the way with a combined 33 assists. The defense was solid as well with 44 team digs.
Pearce swept Dallas Kimball in the second round of the Texas 4A Region 2 state playoffs 25-8, 25-10, 25-5.In set one the Mustangs jumped out to a quick 12-2 lead on the back of a Katie O’Brien six point serving streak and a five point Julie Olschwanger serving streak.Pearce continued to pull away from that point to win the set 25-8.Elyse Burkert led a balanced Pearce attack with four kills and two aces.
Set two started out with Kimball taking an early 7-5 lead.The Mustangs then ran off eight straight points on the back of a Shelby Sullivan seven point serving streak to go ahead 13-7.Pearce continued to dominate the rest of the set finishing with a 12-3 run to win the set 25-10.Pearce had 11 aces in the set.
In set three the Mustangs took an initial 7-2 lead before going on a 14 point streak that included a 13 point serving streak by Lauren English to take a commanding 21-2 lead.The teams traded points to the end with Pearce winning the set 25-5.Ashley Lantz and Shelby Sullivan led the way with five kills each.
Pearce swept Frisco Wakeland in the first round of the Texas 4A Region 2 state playoffs 25-13, 25-13, 25-14.In set one the Mustangs played solidly and steadily built its lead from 4-1, to 11-4, to 18-7, to 22-10, to 25-13.Stephanie Holland led the way with five kills and Katie O’Brien had four kills and one block.
Set two started out with Wakeland taking an early 9-6 lead.The Mustangs then ran off nine straight points on the back of a Katie O’Brien eight point serving streak to go ahead 15-9.Pearce continued to dominate the rest of the set finishing with a 10-4 run to win the set 25-13.Elyse Burkert led the way with four kills.
Set three was very close initially with the two teams reaching an early 11-11 tie.The Mustangs then took off on a 14-3 run to win the set 25-14.Shelby Sullivan led the way with three kills, three aces, and one block.
In a Halloween morning shootout between the number one ranked 4A team in the state the Pearce Mustangs and the number one ranked 3A team in the state and defending state champs the Lovejoy Leopards, the Mustangs fought back from an early deficit to win in four.
After Pearce took an initial 8-4 lead in set one the Leopards caught fire and went on a 9-0 run with numerous kills generated by tooling the Pearce block to take a 13-8 lead.The two teams traded points back and forth until the score reached 20-15 Lovejoy when the Leopards finished off the set with a 5-1 run to win the first set decisively 25-16.
Set two was very close throughout with the teams trading points back and forth and no lead was greater than four points.After Pearce took a 19-15 lead following a five point scoring streak, Lovejoy came right back with an 8-2 run to go up 23-21 and seemed poised to take set two.Each team took a point to make it two set points for Lovejoy.Pearce then ran off the next four points to steal the set 26-24.
After an initial 6-6 tie in set three Pearce ran off four straight points to take a 10-6 lead.The Mustangs maintained the lead as the teams traded points back and forth until Lovejoy ran off three in a row to close the score to 22-20.But the Mustangs finished strong with their own three point streak to finally prevail 25-20.Katie O’Brien led the way with five kills.
In set four Pearce jumped out to an early 7-3 lead before a Lovejoy five point run gave them the lead 8-7.The teams then played very closely the rest of the way with no lead being greater than three points.Pearce finally eeked out a 20-17 lead and was able to hold on as the teams traded points to the end with Pearce taking set four 25-23.Stephanie Holland led the way with eight kills and two blocks.
On Parent Appreciation Night, the Lady Mustangs finished its home district season with a convincing win over playoff bound Rockwall Heath. Shelby Sullivan led the attack with 12 kills and 3 blocks followed by Stephanie Holland with 11 kills and 4 digs. The win brings the Mustangs' current overall record to 37-5 and 13-0 in district (39-0 in sets).
Pearce Honors Seniors with Sweep of Turner
25-2, 25-3, 25-13
October 20, 2009
Pearce Beats Rockwall 3-0
25-15, 25-20, 25-13
October 17, 2009
Another sweep on DigPink Night
25-11, 25-12, 25-12
October 13, 2009
DigPink Night raises over $5,000!!!
On a magical night when Pearce honored those who have been affected by breast cancer, the Mustangs easily swept Carrollton Newman Smith to extend its record to 34-5. Thanks to Sarah Holland for leading this effort and to our entire Pearce community for coming together for such an important cause. We will forever remember the pre-game ceremony and singing of the national anthem.
As for the match, Pearce quickly established a lead in set one at 6-3 before going on a 5-0 run to make it 11-3.Both teams traded points back and forth until 18-9 Pearce when the Mustangs closed out the set with a 7-2 run to win it 25-11.Katie O’Brien led the way with three kills, three aces, and one block.
Set two started out close with Pearce taking an initial 9-8 lead.The Mustangs then ran off six straight including a five point serving streak by Julie Olschwanger to go up 15-8.The two teams traded points until 19-12 when Pearce ran off the last six straight points on the back of a five point Haley Whittington serving streak to win 25-12.The Mustangs, who average 12 kills per set, had a season high 22 kills in the set and were led by Ashley Lantz and Katie O’Brien with six kills each and Sophie Orlich with five kills.
After an initial 4-4 tie in set three, Pearce went on a 9-2 run to take a 13-6 lead.The lead stayed about the same until the score reached 18-10 when the Mustangs finished out the set with 7-2 run to win 25-12.Lauren English led the way with three kills and two aces.
In a much tougher match than the first one this season, Pearce beat second place district rival Highland Park in a sweep.The Scots were at full strength for this one after being two starters short for the first match.
Set one was close until the halfway point with the two teams trading points back and forth and starting out in a 12-12 tie.The Mustangs then went on a six point run that included a five point serving streak by Katie O’Brien to lead 18-12.Highland Park fought back to reduce the lead to 21-19 before Pearce finished off the set with a 4-1 run to win 25-20.Elyse Burkert led the way for Pearce with six kills.
In set two the Mustangs had a quick start and jumped out to a 5-1 lead.The teams traded points back and forth for the bulk of the set with the Scots closing the lead a bit to 18-15.Pearce then had another six point scoring streak on the back of another Katie O’Brien five point serving streak to take command at 24-15 before winning the set 25-16.The Mustangs were led by Katie O’Brien with six kills and Stephanie Holland with five kills.
Set three was very tight until the very end.Points were traded back and forth with neither team having greater than a three point lead and both teams making numerous good plays until the score reached 17-15 Pearce.Then Highland Park put together a nice little 6-2 run to take a 21-19 lead and seemed to be on the verge of forcing a game four.But the Mustangs finished with a 6-0 final burst on the back of an Elyse Burkert five point serving streak to win the set 25-21.Katie O’Brien led the way with six kills and Shelby Sullivan had four kills and one block.
Pearce beat Rockwall Heath on the road Friday on another night where everyone got a lot of playing time.Set one was all Mustangs as they jumped out to a 9-4 lead on the back of a five point serving streak by Elyse Burkert.Points were traded back and forth to 17-10 when Pearce ran off six straight on a five point serving streak by Haleigh Whittington to go up 23-10 on to a 25-12 win.Shelby Sullivan led the way with five kills.
In set two the Mustangs dominated with a five point serving streak by Haleigh Whittington, followed by a five point serving streak by Shelby Sullivan, followed by a seven point serving streak by Caroline Weir which took Pearce from a 4-2 lead to a 23-6 lead on the way to a 25-8 win. Stephanie Holland led the way with six kills.
In set three the Mustangs sat down their three leading scorers and still took the set rather easily.The set was close and back and forth until the middle portion with Pearce taking a 15-12 lead.The Mustangs then ran off seven straight points that included a six point serving streak by Ashley Lantz to go up 22-12.Heath finished with a 5-3 spurt to close the gap to a final of 25-17.Lauren English led the way with nine kills.
Pearce beat R. L. Turner Friday on a night where everyone got a lot of playing time.Set one was all Mustangs as they jumped out to a 15-5 lead on the back of a five point serving streak by Haleigh Whittington and a six point serving streak by Shelby Sullivan.The Mustangs continued to pull away from that point to finish with the win at 25-10.
In set two a 12 point serving streak by Haleigh Whittington took Pearce from a 5-4 lead to a 17-4 lead.The two teams traded points back and forth the rest of the set until the Mustangs won it 25-12.Sophie Orlich led the way with seven kills.
Set three featured a nine point serving streak by Haleigh Whittington which took a 9-4 Pearce lead to 18-4.The Mustangs gradually extended their lead and took the set 25-8.Sophie Orlich led the way with eight kills.
Pearce continues to sweep through district play taking down Rockwall on Tuesday night.Set one was all Mustangs as they jumped out to an initial 8-3 lead which was quickly extended to 13-5.The teams traded points back and forth to get to 17-10 when Pearce closed out the set with an 8-3 run to win 25-13.
Set two was tight throughout with Pearce’s longest serving streaks at two points and Rockwall’s longest serving streaks at one point.The Mustangs took an initial 10-7 lead and gradually extended it to 21-16 before taking the set at 25-19.
Pearce jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead in set three on the back of a Shelby Sullivan five point serving streak and maintained that lead throughout the match as points were traded evenly from that point on.Pearce took set three 25-18.
Pearce beat Carrollton Newman Smith in a sweep Friday night in an away game.After an initial 3-3 tie the Mustangs went on a seven point run that included a six point serving streak by Elyse Burkert to lead 10-3.From this point on in the set both teams held their own with points trading back and forth and neither team putting together a long scoring streak.Pearce won the set 25-19.Katie O’Brien led the way in the set with six kills and three aces.
After taking an initial 4-1 lead in set two, the Mustangs had a five point serving streak by Shelby Sullivan to go up 9-1.The points went back and forth until the score reached 17-7 when Pearce went on an 8-3 run to finish out the set at 25-10.Katie O’Brien led the way in the set with six kills.
Sydney Robertson started out set three with a nine point serving streak for Pearce to take a 9-0 lead.Newman Smith fought back to a 12-6 deficit before Pearce turned it on again to finish with a 13-5 run and the set win at 25-11.Katie O’Brien again led the way in the set with five kills.
District rival and perennial 4A power Highland Park was no match for the Mustangs Tuesday night in a Pearce sweep.After a 4-4 tie in set one the Mustangs put together a 6-0 run that included a five point service streak by Shelby Sullivan to go ahead 10-4.The Scots then fought back gamely to close the lead to 12-11.From this point on in the set the points went back in forth with neither team able to run off a significant streak of points.Pearce gradually extended its lead a bit at a time and won a fairly close set 25-21.Elyse Burkert led the way with six kills.
Pearce dominated most of set two.After taking a 2-1 initial lead the Mustangs ran off eight straight points including a seven point serving streak by Haleigh Whittington to lead 10-1.Elyse Burkert then followed up with a five point serving streak to increase the lead to 16-2.At 22-4 Highland Park put together a nice five point run to reduce the lead to 22-9. The teams traded points from there until Pearce won the set 25-11.Shelby Sullivan led the way with four kills and two blocks.
Set three was back and forth early on with the Mustangs taking an early 10-8 lead.Pearce then rolled off eleven points in a row on the back of a Julie Olschwanger ten point serving streak to take an insurmountable lead at 21-8.The Scots fought back a bit with their own five point streak to make it 21-13 before Pearce finished off the set with a 4-2 run to win 25-15.Elyse Burkert lead the way with five kills.
Pearce easily defeated the Greenville Lions Friday night.In set one the Mustangs followed up an initial 7-3 lead with an 18-2 run to win 25-5.Included in that run was a five point serving streak by Elyse Burkert and a seven point serving streak by Julie Olschwanger.
In set two the Mustangs were up 8-6 when they went on a 11-1 run that included a five point serving streak by Lauren English to take a 19-7 lead.The two teams traded points back and forth until Pearce took the set 25-11.
In set three the Mustangs were up 7-4 before going on a seven point run that included a six point serving streak by Caroline Weir to lead 14-4.The teams traded points until the lead was 19-10 when Greenville showed some fight and scored the next six straight points to close to 19-16.But Pearce tightened up its play a bit and finished off the set with a final 6-1 run to win 25-17.
The Mustangs defeated its nearby neighbor Richardson High School Tuesday night in a sweep to up its season record to 24-5.
The teams began set one closely with points going back and forth until a 10-10 tie.Pearce then gradually pulled away from that point to go up 20-14 and then on to win the set 25-17.Stephanie Holland and Elyse Burkert each recorded five kills in the set.
Pearce took over set two after taking an early 8-5 lead by scoring nine straight points including an eight point serving streak by Caroline Weir to go up 17-5.Richardson continued to fight and reduced the lead a bit before falling 25-15.Shelby Sullivan and Katie O’Brien led the way with six and five kills respectively.
The Eagles took the early 6-3 lead in set three before Pearce went on a 15-1 run that included a nine point serving streak by Katie O’Brien and a five point serving streak by Julie Olschwanger to take an 18-7 lead.The Mustangs traded points with the Eagles until finishing out the set and the match 25-11.
Freshman A team started the 24 team Frisco ISD tournament in pool play at Heritage High School at 8 am on Saturday, 9/5/09. They dispatched second-seed Hebron, 2-0, and third-seed Lake Dallas, 2-0, to earn a spot in the Gold bracket. First round match was against Frisco High School, and Pearce won that match, 2-0. The next match was against the host school, and Centennial won a tough first game. The Mustangs fought back to win a tight second game, but had nothing left for the third game, and lost 25-12. Pearce bounced back to beat a taller McKinney team in 2 games to take third place, thereby bringing home some hardware for the trophy case.
Mustangs Sweep Creekview
25-12, 25-13, 25-18
September 05, 2009
The Mustangs defeated Carrollton Creekview in its second home match of the season 25-12, 25-13, 25-18.After jumping out to a 6-4 lead in set one, Pearce scored nine straight including an eight point serving streak by Lauren English which included three aces to go up 16-6.From that point on the Mustangs were in control on their way to a 25-12 first set win.
Set two started out tight with Creekview pulling out to a 9-6 lead in the early going.Pearce crept closer to tie it up at 10-10 when Julie Olschwanger and Sydney Robertson combined for an eleven point serving streak to put the Mustangs in charge 21-10.The teams traded points to the end with Pearce winning set two 25-13.
Set three again started out tight with the score 8-7 Pearce.The Mustangs then had a 5-0 run to take the lead 13-7.They maintained this lead until the score was 18-12 when they had a 5 point serving streak by Ashley Lantz to go up 23-12.Creekview did not give up easily and put together their own 5-0 run before finally falling in set three 25-18.
Pearce Shocks San Antonio Reagan and Makes History in Winning the Pearland Championship
Pearce won the 2009 Pearland Volleyball Classic this weekend in Pearland, Texas by defeating the previously undefeated San Antonio Reagan squad 25-21, 26-28, 25-20 in the championship match.The Pearland Classic is one of the most prestigious and largest high school volleyball tournament in the nation consistently turning out the strongest competition each year.This year the 76 teams featured in the tournament included 7 of the top 10 and 12 of the top 20 teams in the state per the lonestarvolleyball.com Texas poll.The tournament has historically been dominated by 5A teams.Pearce finished out the three days of competition with an 8-0 record.Pearce was the only 4A team to reach the quarterfinals, was the first 4A team to reach the championship finals in the history of the tournament, and became the first 4A team in the history of the tournament to be crowned champions.Not bad.
Five Mustangs won all tournament team honors: Elyse Burkert (MVP), Julie Olschwanger (Best Libero), Stephanie Holland, Katie O’Brien, and Shelby Sullivan.
Pearce recorded victories over Tomball (25-19, 25-18), Bellaire (25-13, 25-7), Friendswood (20-25, 25-14, 25-13), Clear Creek (25-16, 25-20), A&M Consolidated (22-25, 25-22, 25-18), Houston Stratford (22-25, 25-19, 27-25), The Woodlands (25-20, 27-25), and Reagan (25-21, 26-28, 25-20).Five opponents were ranked in the top 20.
Reagan entered the tournament as the hands down favorite and the number one ranked team in the state.After breezing through the tournament, the Rattlers entered the championship match with a 26-0 record and were the heavy favorites to continue their streak.
From the beginning of the match Pearce showed no fear.After an early 4-4 tie the Mustangs jumped out to an 11-4 lead via a seven point serving streak by Caroline Weir.The Mustangs maintained the lead until 15-8 when Reagan began its comeback.The Rattlers went on a 9-3 run to close the score to 18-17.Pearce scored three of the next four points on three big kills by Stephanie Holland to go up 21-18.The two teams then alternated points with Pearce finishing up set one with two Shelby Sullivan kills and the 25-21 win.
Set two was tight throughout with both teams playing at a very high level and Reagan holding a slight lead throughout until Pearce put together a couple of points to take the 20-19 lead.Reagan then rattled off five straight to take a 24-20 lead looking to put the set away.But the Mustangs were not ready to give up yet and ran off their own five point streak to reach match point at 25-24.Reagan fought off the match point and then had one of their own that Pearce fought off before reaching 26-26.Finally Reagan put the set away with the final two points and won 28-26.
Pearce again came out playing well in the third set and moved out to an 8-4 lead.The Mustangs maintained this lead until the score reached 16-11 and Reagan started another comeback.They closed the score to 19-19 with a barnburner finish appearing to be in the making.But Pearce had other ideas and finished with a 5-1 run that included 2 huge kills by Katie O’Brien and Shelby Sullivan each and another one by Elizabeth Wingate to win the set 25-20.The Pearce team and its fans burst into excited screaming and yelling at their great accomplishment.The excitement continued as they were awarded the first place trophy and medals and several places on the all tournament team.
By far the most difficult match of the weekend for Pearce was in the quarterfinals against Houston Stratford which Pearce won 22-25, 25-19, 27-25.Set one was tied at 16-16 when Stratford started to pull away a bit on the strength of some amazingly accurate hitting by its outside hitters who repeatedly found the hitting lanes and soft spots on the court.Stratford ended up taking the set 25-22.
In set two Pearce seemed like it was regaining control of the match more in the vain that it had become accustomed to in previous matches and created an early lead at 12-7 which it was able to maintain to the end of the set which it won 25-19.This was the third time in the tournament where Pearce had started slowly and dropped the first set before gaining control in sets two and three to win fairly comfortably.
But against Stratford things turned very bleak for a while.In set three Stratford’s outsides again started peppering the floor with mysterious shots that no other team had been able to produce.They jumped out to an 18-10 lead.With time and points running out, Pearce finally started a comeback.They scored four to close to 18-14.Then they closed a bit more to 20-18 before Stratford scored two to extend the lead to 22-18.Pearce then scored the next four including an ace by Caroline Weir that hit the backline to tie it at 22-22.The two teams then alternated points with Stratford having a match point at 24-23 which Pearce fought off.Pearce then had a match point at 25-24 which Stratford fought off to tie it at 25.The Mustangs went up 26-25 and then won the match on a Haleigh Whittington ace 27-25.What a relief.
