Staff Report
NEW BRAUNFELS – Twelve kills from sophomore Mackenzie Plante Friday carried the Dripping Springs Tigers to a straight set Region IV quarterfinal win over the Alamo Heights Mules.
Dripping Springs moves on to the regional semifinals where they squared off against the McAllen Bulldogs Tuesday in the first round of the Region IV tournament.
The Tigers’ victory over Alamo Heights proved cathartic, helping them exorcise their 2019 Regional Final loss to the Mules, which prevented the Tigers from reaching state last season.
Aiding Plante was sophomore Ava Williamson who scored 10 kills in the match, along with sophomore Natalie Arnold who had five. In addition, the Tigers scored seven aces in the match and finished with a .304 hitting percentage.
On defense, senior Nicole Herbert had 18 digs while Ryann Frontera finished with a double double with 11 digs and 20 assists.
Tiger head coach Michael Kane attributed the team’s success to continued confidence and improved play throughout the course of the season. A tough district slate in 2020 also proved beneficial for the Tigers as well. Kane said playing against two of the “best teams in the state” in Alamo Heights and New Braunfels Canyon during district play also paid dividends.
“This is a great win over a great team with great players,” Kane said after the win over Alamo Heights. “But it’s not our goal. Our goal isn’t come here to win a regional quarterfinal. We take each game one at a time and our goal is reach the state tournament. We have to get through great teams like Alamo Heights. And we did.”
