PLANO — District play didn't exactly get off to the kind of start the Lady Friars hoped for, but they'll have a chance Thursday to make up for it and turn things around. Bishop Lynch (14-9, 0-1) had three closely contested sets Tuesday at John Paul II (1-0), but none of them would go the Lady Friars' way in a 3-0 loss by scores of 25-22, 25-21, 25-23.

Bishop Lynch trailed for most of the opening set but stayed close, tying the score at 11-11 and later at 19-19 after a pair of kills by Emily Castleman. That's as close as it would get, however, and the hosts closed out the set. Leah Oyewole and Maddie Nolan scored early in the second set to give Bishop Lynch leads of 8-3 and 13-10. The two sides would exchange runs with John Paul II taking a 14-13 lead, the Lady Friars regaining it at 16-14, and the Cardinals going in front for good at 23-20 before winning 25-21.

The Lady Friars opened the third set with a 4-2 lead but a JPII run put the Cardinals in front 8-4, and eventually built to 16-11. Katie Blomberg hammered home a kill to bring BL within 20-19 but they wouldn't be able to pull any closer. Oyewole finished with a team-high nine kills, followed by seven from Castleman. Alex Galicia had nine assists and Lyric Berry had a pair of blocks while Jenny Canavan and Charlotte Hain each totaled 11 digs.

The Lady Friars are home Thursday evening to host Parish Episcopal (1-0) in the Competition Gym. The varsity contest is scheduled to begin at approximately 6:00 pm.
 
TAPPS 2-6A STANDINGS
1. John Paul II                          1-0
1. Parish Episcopal                  1-0
1. Prestonwood Christian        1-0
4. Bishop Dunne                     0-1
4. Bishop Lynch                       0-1
4. Ursuline Academy               0-1
 
District Results – Sept. 17
John Paul II def. Bishop Lynch, 3-0
Prestonwood def. Bishop Dunne, 3-0
Parish def. Ursuline, 3-2