Celina's volleyball team enters the 5A Division II playoffs Thursday with a 28-11 record.
Kennedy Hangartner, a senior outside hitter and defensive specialist, missed her entire junior season with an ACL injury, according to the Celina Record's playoff preview published Oct. 28. The Star Local Media report described her return as "a true feel-good story," noting she has not missed a beat since getting back on the court.
The numbers back that up. Through 111 sets this season, Hangartner has recorded 336 kills, 346 digs and 48 serving aces, according to MaxPreps. She ranks in the top two in District 9-5A in at least one statistical category and in the top 81 in Conference 5A in another, per the site.
The Star Local Media preview reported that Hangartner led Celina in kills as a sophomore before the injury and has done so again this season, adding team-high totals in aces and digs.
The Lady Bobcats finished second in District 9-5A with a 14-2 record, behind undefeated McKinney North (16-0), according to MaxPreps standings updated Oct. 28. Lovejoy (11-5) placed third.
Celina's bi-district opponent is Marshall, which carried a 22-11 record as of mid-October, according to a MaxPreps recap from Oct. 16. The Mavericks had won 11 of their last 14 road games at that point.
Thursday's match is set for 6:30 p.m. KLTV reported the game will be played at Athens High School, a neutral site between the two programs.
Celina closed the regular season with a 3-2 loss at Richland on Monday, Oct. 26, a non-district warm-up match, according to MaxPreps. Before that, the Lady Bobcats had won seven straight district matches, sweeping Sherman, Greenville, Anna, Denison and Melissa in that stretch.
This is Celina's first postseason run since moving up to Class 5A under UIL realignment. The Star Local Media preview listed Celina among the area's regional finalists from last season.
Celina is not the only local team opening the playoffs Thursday. Walnut Grove (21-15) faces Flower Mound Marcus (23-16) at 8 p.m. at The Colony High School in the 6A Division II bi-district round, according to playoff pairings published by Yahoo Sports.
