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WAVERLY — Six games into the season, Miami Trace has yet to play its best volleyball.
But the win-loss column may tell a different story.
After Tuesday night’s sweep of Waverly, the Panthers are 6-0 and have continued to show why they’re one of the best teams in the region.
Tuesday’s victory wasn’t pretty and, at times, it felt as if Miami Trace was just going through the motions. But a win is just that … a win. And the fact that coach Doug Mace’s Panthers have yet to piece it altogether should be a neon warning sign for future opponents.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
“[Waverly coach] Rikki [Magill] is doing a lot of good things for her program,” Mace said. “She had her girls well-prepared and they played us tough. We’re learning to navigate through all of this. Miami Trace has not had a long history of good volleyball teams. So this has all been learning for our kids. It’s learning to put it all together and stay focused. I thought we could’ve stayed focused a little more tonight.”
Behind the usual suspects of Addyson Butts, Lauren Farrens and Lauren Guess, Miami Trace cruised to a 25-19, 25-21, 25-21 win over the Tigers.
That trio habitually barraged Waverly’s defense and, when their Panthers needed to stop a Tiger rally, provided a calm in the middle of the storm.
“Those three are who we count on to score,” Mace said. “The luxury is that we have three hitters who are all capable of rising up when we need them the most. So, if somebody is having a bad night, somebody else can fill in. Fortunately, we have a really good setter [Kylie Yeazel]. The team has a lot more confidence because our setter knows she can go to someone else if one of those three is having a bad night.”
Butts had the hot hand from the get-go. The defending FAC Player of Year paced MT to an early 7-3 advantage with a pair of kills and a block.
Farrens later got in on the action, tallying an ace for a 15-8 score, before Butts made it 19-10 late. The Tigers (3-7) fought to get back in the game, but the hole they had dug themselves was already too deep. Butts ended the first set with another kill, sealing a 25-19 final.
In the second, Waverly held a lead throughout the majority of the game.
An offensive attack led by Sidney Johnson and Taryn Gillott helped the Tigers build leads of 6-4, 10-7 and 13-10. But after Miami Trace ripped off a 4-1 run to go ahead 19-16, Farrens took matters into her own hands with back-to-back kills and pushed MT’s lead to 22-18.
That paved the way for another set-ending kill from Butts, giving the Panthers a 2-0 match edge.
In the third, it was all MT.
PHOTOS: Images from Miami Trace’s win over Waverly
Farrens and Sydney Carter each logged kills to help give the Panthers an early 10-1 edge before Butts and Guess took over the later stages of the game, allowing MT to hold off another Waverly rally for a 25-21 win.
“We’ve got some potential on this team. We’re never going to complain about a win, even though we want to play perfect volleyball every night out,” Mace said. “The reality is we’re 6-0 and we’re doing what we need to do. A win is a win.”
While Waverly attempts to get back in the win column on Thursday at Portsmouth West, the Panthers are back in action on Saturday, hosting Zane Trace.
“We have to be more focused,” Mace said. “We have to learn how to juggle everything between coming to practice, going to games, taking those long bus rides, Homecoming, Friday night football games … We don’t want the kids to give up their social lives. But they have to manage their time a little better. They have to learn how to navigate through all of that if they want to reach all of their goals and expectations.”
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