GARLAND — Abilene Wylie had plenty of chances to eliminate Argyle in Friday’s Class 3A volleyball state semifinal.
Wylie had all but knocked out Argyle in the third set but couldn’t put the match away. Finally, two sets later, Wylie notched the point it needed.
Wylie advanced to the state championship game with a 25-23, 25-18, 23-25, 17-25, 18-16 victory over Argyle at the Curtis Culwell Center.
Argyle reached the state tournament for the first time in school history, and in the fifth set, almost continued the run with the score even at 14.
“We just wanted to make school history, and we did,” Argyle senior Sierra James said. “But we just wish we could have gone another step further.”
With the score tied, the Lady Eagles (35-11) were whistled for a double hit, giving Wylie the one-point lead and a chance to close out the match.
But Wylie still couldn’t finish off Argyle. Argyle retied the match and even had match point at 16-15 before the Bulldogs scored the set’s final three points.
Wylie junior Bailey Turner slammed home the match-winning kill against two blockers. As soon as the final whistle sounded, most of the Argyle players clasped their hands behind their head and stood still for a few moments before the two teams exchanged pleasantries.
“We got a couple of unlucky breaks, and that was the difference,” Argyle coach Clark Oberle said.