Plano East Wins Five-Set Thriller, Leaving District 7-6A Title and Playoff Spots Up for Grabs Friday

Plano East needed all of a deciding fifth set to get past Plano West on Tuesday, winning 16-14 and keeping the District 7-6A volleyball race undecided going into the final night of the regular season.

The Panthers took the match 18-25, 25-18, 25-22, 24-26, 16-14 at home, according to MaxPreps. The loss ended a three-match winning streak for Plano West, which fell to 25-7 overall. Plano East improved to 28-10 and has now won 18 of its past 19 home matches.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, Plano swept Richardson 25-15, 25-21, 25-11, GM Sports Media reported. It was the Wildcats' third straight victory.

With one district match left for every team, MaxPreps lists Plano at 11-2 in league play (32-8 overall), followed by Plano East at 10-3 (28-10), Plano West at 9-4 (25-7), Coppell at 8-5 (19-11) and Lake Highlands at 7-6 (19-21).

Plano cannot finish worse than a share of first place, because Plano East can reach no better than 11-3. The Wildcats host Lake Highlands at 6:30 p.m. Friday, and a win would give them the championship outright. If Plano loses and Plano East beats Berkner, which has not won a district match, the two teams would finish tied at 11-3.

The two contenders split their meetings this fall. Plano East won 3-1 at home on Sept. 22, and Plano answered with a 3-0 sweep on Oct. 16, according to Plano's MaxPreps schedule. Plano also defeated Plano West twice, by 3-0 in September and 3-2 on Oct. 6.

The title is not the only thing at stake. Plano West can no longer finish first, but its Friday match against Coppell will decide third place. A West win would put the Wolves at 10-4, two matches clear of Coppell, while a Coppell win would leave both teams at 9-5.

That match also affects the final playoff berth. Lake Highlands' only path to fourth place goes through Plano: the Wildcats would have to lose to Lake Highlands while Coppell loses to Plano West, leaving Coppell and Lake Highlands tied at 8-6. Plano split its two matches with Coppell, losing 3-1 at home on Oct. 9 after winning a five-set match in September.

Plano's sweep of Richardson also moved the Wildcats into The Dallas Morning News' Class 6A area rankings at No. 10 this week. Plano East, which held that spot a week earlier, dropped out.