Tenacious D fuels Plymouth’s sweep of John Glenn

Erasing a portion of the frustration it dealt with this season, Plymouth’s volleyball team put it all together Tuesday night against Westland John Glenn.

Playing in their final regular-season game before Saturday’s KLAA Silver Playoff Tournament, the Wildcats thrived, conquering the Rockets 25-13, 25-16, 25-18.

All 18 Wildcat players saw game action — and they all played well, noted Head Coach Lindsey Ancevski.

“I knew we had the talent all season long, we just haven’t been able to put it all together,” said Ancevski, whose team improved to 6-25 overall (according to the MHSAA website) and 1-7 in the conference. “Our middles did a great job tonight and our defensive tenacity was where it should be. We were keeping balls off the floor that were hitting the floor earlier in the season.”

Dakota makes statement

One of the Wildcats’ marvelous middles on Tuesday was junior Dakota Parnell, who led her team in kills.

“I’m really happy we ended the season with a win,” Parnell said. “I’m proud of how we came together tonight.

“We didn’t know a lot about John Glenn, but we were able to make adjustments as the match went on.”

Parnell said she loves playing in the middle because “you never know what to expect. I like being in the middle of everything.”

Rockets were ‘scrappy’

John Glenn, which Ancevski praised as being “super scrappy”, battled hard in every set. After Plymouth dominated the opening game, winning 25-13, the Rockets led 12-11 in the second before a Parnell kill deadlocked the set at 12-12.

The host Wildcats then gradually pulled away to win by nine points.

Plymouth appeared headed to a comfortable set-three triumph as it built a 22-14 lead before the Rockets launched a 3-0 rally to make it interesting.

The Wildcats, however, repelled any hopes the visitors had of a crazy comeback by capturing three of the final points — earning match point on a perfect tip by freshman Riley Taylor.

Taylor is one of three freshmen who play significant minutes for the future-is-bright Wildcats.

Hitting on all cylinders

“The three things we emphasized before the season were tenacity, coachability and discipline and I was happy with all three of those qualities tonight,” said Ancevski, who kept the MHSAA maximum number of players (18).

“It’s been a challenge sometimes with 18 players getting into a rhythm and jelling, but tonight everybody played and played well.”

The Wildcats’ offense was bolstered by excellent setting by Kate Ryan and Giana Jourdonnais. Defensive specialists Gabby Beydoun, Natalie Southwick and Payton Wandel also shined.

Joining Parnell as stars in the middle for the winners were Tanvi Paturi, who ended the first set with a ferocious kill, and freshman Jordyn Holly, who registered multiple blocks.

“It took us a while to reach the level we played tonight, but it’s encouraging,” Ancevski said. “I’m excited to see how we perform in the districts.”

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.