FLOWER MOUND - After a close defeat to Plano West to begin the season
last week, Bishop Lynch traveled to Flower Mound Marcus to compete in the annual Marcus Showcase last Friday and Saturday.
BL opened up the showcase against Northwest Eaton High School, ranked #6 - one spot ahead of Plano West - in the Dallas Morning News preseason rankings, and the game was a five-set thriller. After falling down 2-1, the ladies pulled through to win the final two sets, 25-19 and 15-10, to win their first five-set match of the season.
Lauryn Lambert led the Friars with 18 kills, followed by
Lyric Berry with 14 and
Leah Oyewole with nine. Berry also had eight blocks in the game, including the match-sealing point.
The Friars would then immediately turn their focus to Bryon Nelson, who just missed the preseason top 10 rankings. After coming off a very emotional five-set victory, BL dropped the first game to the Bobcats 25-9. After a more competitive second set loss, the ladies fought through to win the third 27-25. They wound up losing the fourth and the match to finish 1-1 on the first day of the showcase. Byron Nelson finished the showcase undefeated and improved their record to 6-0. The only set they have lost all year was the one to BL. Lambert had a team-high 18 kills in the match.
Saturday would bring a new day with two more opportunities to improve as a team. The Friars started with a 3-1 victory over McKinney North, defeating the Bulldogs in three straight sets after dropping the first set 22-25. Dallas Morning News had ranked McKinney North three spots ahead of the Friars in their 5A and other preseason rankings.
In the final match of the showcase, Bishop Lynch took on Denton Guyer, who had been undefeated in their three games, beating McKinney North, Hockaday and Marcus. The Friars saved their best for last as they clean swept Guyer 3-0. Lambert (11) and Berry (10) each had double-digit kills, and the Friars as a team hit .365 in the match, a season-high.
Senior
Lyric Berry was named All-Tournament with her play over the weekend.
Bishop Lynch will play a non-district match against familiar foe Liberty Christian on the road tomorrow, August 17th, in Argyle. This will be the first true road test of the season for the Friars.
