Plano defeats Wakeland in four sets to reach regional semifinals

Plano High kept its volleyball postseason run alive Tuesday with a four-set victory over Frisco Wakeland at Walnut Grove High School in Prosper. The Wildcats won 25-23, 25-17, 23-25, 25-12 to advance to the Class 6A Division II regional semifinals, according to Star Local Media. With Plano East and Plano West eliminated, Plano is the district's only team still competing.

The Wildcats took control early, narrowly winning the opening set before building a two-set lead with an eight-point victory in the second. Wakeland responded with a late surge in the third, taking it 25-23 and extending the match. Plano then pulled clear late in the fourth set, finishing with its largest winning margin of the night at 13 points, Star Local Media reported.

The result gave Plano its sixth consecutive victory and improved its season record to 35-8, according to its MaxPreps schedule. The Wildcats have gone 20-4 at neutral venues, alongside an 8-1 home record and a 7-3 mark on the road. Wakeland finished its season at 23-19 after the area-round defeat.

Plano entered the playoffs as the District 7-6A champion after posting a 12-2 league record. Its only district defeats came on Sept. 22 at Plano East and on Oct. 9 at home against Coppell. Those losses were part of a district schedule that also included a five-set October victory over Plano West, according to MaxPreps results.

The Wildcats later swept Plano East on Oct. 16 before beginning their playoff campaign with a 3-0 bi-district victory over Haltom on Oct. 29. Other area-round winners in the Class 6A Division II bracket included Keller, Southlake Carroll, Prosper Walnut Grove, Mansfield and North Forney, according to results published by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

In the Class 6A Division I bracket, both Plano East and Plano West faced opponents ranked among the state's top four, and both were swept. Plano East fell to McKinney Boyd on Monday at Lovejoy, losing 25-13, 25-16, 25-22, Star Local Media reported. Boyd held the No. 4 position in the MaxPreps Texas rankings released that day.

After losing the first two sets by 12 and nine points, Plano East kept the third closer before Boyd finished the match, according to Star Local Media. Plano West lost to Allen 25-17, 25-12, 25-20, the Star-Telegram reported. Allen was No. 2 in the same rankings. Both eliminated Plano programs had tested the Wildcats during district play, with East recording a win and West forcing a deciding fifth set.