The Farmer volleyball team beat the Denton Guyer Wildcats on Oct. 25 to send themselves into the playoffs for the first time since 1997. The Farmers will face No. 9 in 6A, Plano East, tonight at 6:30 at Hebron High School.
“It means a lot to our coaches and our team because the last few years we’ve been struggling, so it was uplifting,” junior Jacobi Carrasco said.
The Farmers lost their first set against the Wildcats, losing by 10 points, but then outscored them in the second, third and fourth sets by nine points.
“We had to beat them to go into the playoffs,” senior outside hitter Shannon Skinner said. “We lost the first set, but as soon as we won the second set, I knew we were going to win the entire thing.”
The Farmers beat Guyer to send them into the playoffs for the first time in 27 years, finding newfound success in the team.
“We felt relief when we beat [Guyer],” Carrasco said. “I think it was a lot of the team connection and the chemistry routine because last year we were a little more separated. I think this year we meshed a lot better.”
The Farmers have a huge test though. Plano East finished the season 31-8, while being 14-2 in their district. The team has faced challenges throughout the season, being swept by both Flower Mound and Hebron, as well as tough losses to Coppell. Plano East is just two games behind the latter.
“It’s just about studying their film to beat [Plano East],” Skinner said. Watching a ton of hours of them, knowing the shots they’re going to take, being able to react and move on.”
Playing a tough team like Plano East, the Farmers will have to be a resilient team and bounce back from mistakes.
“The mentality of this team is to fight for each other,” sophomore Aubrey Dean said. “What we’ve practiced and put into the game, as well as resilience and trust.”
The Farmers, however, want more than just a win against the Panthers, or a playoff berth.
“It feels nice to know we were the first team in 27 years to ever make the playoffs,” Dean said. “But honestly I think it’s just the start to Lewisville’s success. We want more than just playoffs.”
