It must’ve been a great birthday for volleyball coach Shalanda Byers as her Trojan girls delivered a statement victory, sweeping cross town rival McCallum in decisive fashion. Anderson defeated the Knights with set scores of 25-19, 25-21, and 25-17, en route to a 4-0 district start.
“I liked how we played as a team always encouraging one another and had a lot of energy on and off the court” – Senior Captain Ava pandya
The Trojans were led by none other than Arkansas commit Parker Duncan, who recorded 15 of the teams 31 kills on the night. She’s been nothing short of electric this season, with over 368 kills through 70 sets. That currently ranks her 68th nationally in kills (MaxPreps) despite the fact that some girls have played almost 100 sets to her 70. With the second half of district left, she could go over an outstanding 500 kills on the year, cementing herself as one of the best players in Anderson Volleyball history. Duncan was also second on the team with 18 digs and had 2 aces against the Knights, showcasing her all around talent.
Fellow senior captain Ava Pandya led the team with her serve, recording a game high 3 aces and serving 21 times for the Trojans. Additionally, Anderson won 15 of the 21 rallies that Pandya served, mostly due to the fact that she commits few errors. Her 85.7% serving percentage is outstanding considering the high volume she produced against the Knights. Ava told me that the key was “just taking [her] time and focusing on [her] toss” last night. Bailey Santos also served well, with 2 aces and a 92.9% serving percentage on 14 serves, leading to 10 Trojan points. Additionally, Piper Page added a pair of aces on 9 serves without recording an error.
Freshman Chloe Frizzle was a force in the middle for the Trojans leading the team with 6 blocks including 3 solo. With 3 more years left on the team, she has plenty of time to develop into a formidable player for the foreseeable future. Her size alone should get her looks at the next level, and it’ll be exciting to watch how her career plays out. Libero Claire Nix, donning a pink jersey instead of the rest of Anderson’s black, recorded a team and game high 20 digs, and Bailey Santos had 25 assists.
Overall, the Trojans have started the season 17-9 and sit tied with Ann Richards for the top spot in 5A district 24. They’ve been hot as of late, going 5-2 so far this month, and will close September with a big matchup on the road against Ann Richards this Friday. It should be a fiercely competitive contest, and a win would place the Trojans alone at the top of the district standings. Their next home game will be next Tuesday, October 1st against district rival Bastrop.
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