Wylie’s Lady Pirates clinched their second consecutive outright District 9-6A volleyball championship with a 3-0 road win over Sachse on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
Wylie won 25-16, 25-13 and 25-16, improving to 32-4 overall and 12-0 in district play, according to The Sachse News. Sachse fell to 18-20 overall and 7-5 in district.
The Lady Pirates secured the title with two district matches still scheduled. They host Lakeview Centennial on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 6:30 p.m., then North Garland on Friday, Oct. 23, at 5:30 p.m., according to Wylie ISD’s athletics calendar.
The championship adds to a milestone season for head coach Sherry Olivares, who is in her 33rd year as a head coach and has more than 750 career wins.
Olivares has led Wylie since 2015 after coaching at Garland, North Mesquite and John Paul II. She plans to retire at the end of the school year, although that decision was not yet official when The Wylie News profiled her Oct. 6.
Eight seniors form the core of this year’s team. They include Lamar commit Julia Hudgins, Old Dominion pledge Keelyn Green, Grambling pledge Aubrey DeGrate and Arizona State commit Paloma Smith. Senior libero Jolene Bao earned District 9-6A Defensive Player of the Year honors last season.
Many of the seniors have played together since seventh grade at Raymond Cooper Junior High School, according to an August Wylie News feature.
“The plan was to come dominate,” Hudgins said of Olivares’s goals for the group. “She wants to go to state and wants to win a state title.”
Green credited the team’s ability to adjust when individual players struggle.
“A lot of us are very versatile,” she said. “So, if someone isn’t having a good game, someone else can come in and step up.”
Playing under the motto “Fear None,” the Lady Pirates will try to complete an undefeated district season before turning to the playoffs.
Sachse also remains in postseason contention. The Sachse News reported that the Mustangs could clinch a berth the following Tuesday.
