The Miami Trace Lady Panthers varsity volleyball team opened the 2021 season with a home match against the Waverly Lady Tigers Monday, Aug. 23.
Waverly won the varsity match in four sets, 25-20, 25-23, 16-216 and 25-18.
Prior to the match, junior Gracey Ferguson was recognized for accumulating 1,000 assists during her first two seasons.
Statistically for Miami Trace, Laura Robinson had five kills; Courtney Carter, Addy Butts and Ferguson each had four kills.
Carter had five ace serves and Butts had four aces.
“Waverly is a pretty good team,” Miami Trace head coach Doug Mace said. “They had some good kids last year. Where I think they’ve improved the most is their setters were getting their hitters engaged.
“The ball went back and forth a lot of times,” Mace said. “We would break down mentally there a little bit. We weren’t able to maintain through the whole entire play.
“This is our first time out,” Mace said. “We’ve got some new people out there on the floor for us. What I saw tonight, we’re still trying to get comfortable beside each other.”
Mace spoke about the accomplishment of Ferguson having 1,000 assists after only two seasons.
“She did it in that last game (of 2020),” Mace said. “She accomplished that by the time she was just a sophomore. I can tell you, in my coaching career, this is the first time I’ve ever had anybody do that by the time they completed their sophomore season.
“She’s special,” Mace said. “She’s special for us. She does things that you don’t see from a lot of the setters. She just comes in every day and works hard at being, not only a team player, but someone who helps the younger ones coming up through, to make sure they are learning all they can.
“She’s an all-around terrific young lady,” Mace said. “I can’t say enough good things about her.”
In the j-v match Monday, Miami Trace won two sets to one.
Scores of the sets were: 25-18, 25-27 and 25-16.
Miami Trace will host Zane Trace for a triple header Thursday, with a freshman match starting things off at 5 p.m. with j-v and varsity to follow.
