Plano East needed every point of a fifth set to beat Plano West on Tuesday, and the 16-14 finish kept the District 7-6A volleyball race open for one more night.
The Panthers won 18-25, 25-18, 25-22, 24-26, 16-14 at home, according to MaxPreps. The result ended a three-match winning streak for Plano West, which fell to 25-7, and lifted Plano East to 28-10. That made it 18 wins in the Panthers' past 19 home matches.
Across town the same evening, Plano swept Richardson 25-15, 25-21, 25-11, GM Sports Media reported, a third straight win for the Wildcats.
Where it stands
With one district match left for every team, the MaxPreps standings show:
- Plano, 11-2 (32-8 overall)
- Plano East, 10-3 (28-10)
- Plano West, 9-4 (25-7)
- Coppell, 8-5 (19-11)
- Lake Highlands, 7-6 (19-21)
Plano cannot finish worse than tied for first, since Plano East can finish no better than 11-3. The Wildcats host Lake Highlands at 6:30 p.m. Friday, and a win there makes the championship theirs alone. If Plano loses and Plano East beats Berkner, which is winless in district play, the two finish level at 11-3.
The schools split their two meetings this fall. Plano East won 3-1 at home on Sept. 22, and Plano answered with a 3-0 sweep on Oct. 16, according to Plano's MaxPreps schedule. Plano also beat Plano West twice, 3-0 in September and 3-2 on Oct. 6.
More than the title
Plano West can no longer finish first, but its Friday match against Coppell decides third place. A West win puts the Wolves at 10-4 and two matches clear of Coppell; a Coppell win leaves both teams at 9-5.
The same match bears on the last playoff place. Lake Highlands' only route to fourth runs through Plano: the Wildcats would have to lose to Lake Highlands while Coppell loses to Plano West, leaving Coppell and Lake Highlands tied at 8-6. Plano split its two matches with Coppell, losing 3-1 at home on Oct. 9 after a five-set win in September.
Plano's sweep of Richardson also moved the Wildcats into The Dallas Morning News' Class 6A area rankings at No. 10 this week. Plano East, which held that spot a week earlier, dropped out.
