Volleyball Teams Pick Up Three More Wins
The high school volleyball teams won all matches played on Tuesday, October 9, in Sharon Springs. The junior varsity team defeated Wallace County 25-18, 25-15 in the only JV match played during the evening. The varsity Lady Indians continued their winning ways defeating Wallace County 18-25, 25-21, 25-11 and then soundly defeating Triplains-Brewster 25-9, 25-15.
The Lady Indians were somewhat sluggish early in the Wallace County match. Though the Lady Indians lost the first set, they gradually improved their play throughout the match and earned a victory over the Wallace County (WC) Lady Wildcats. In set one, the Lady Indians' execution lacked sharpness, and the Lady Indians could only earn one run of three or more points in the set. The Lady Cats earned 6 runs of three or more points during the action. St. Francis earned a 2-1 lead getting a kill by Jessica Confer and an ace by Karly Bandel, but the Lady Wildcats followed with a three-point run all resulting from Lady Indian miscues. A well-placed dump-set by Lauren Johnson tied the set at 4-all. After a kill by WC's Makayla Kuhlman (5' 7" Sr.), a kill by Mia Morrow and an ace by McKenna Poling gave the Lady Indians a one-point lead (6-5). Another 3-point WC run extended the margin to 6-8 and included a kill by Jessie Carmen (5' 7" So.) and and ace by Kuhlman. Though the Lady Indians ended two of the next three volleys with kills, both by Morrow, a kill by Aubrey Kuhlman (5' 8" Jr.) kept the Cats ahead. Trailing 8-10, the Lady Indians used a time-out, but soon allowed a four-point run, including two aces by Makenna Chaney (5' 7" So.), placing St. Francis at a four-point deficit (10-14). The Lady Indians responded with their only run of the set; a five-point run giving St. Francis a one-point lead and causing a WC time-out. The run included an ace by Bandel and an aggressive over-pass kill by Confer as well as three Lady Wildcat errors. The flurry ended with a missed serve followed by a WC ace by Hailey Hennick (5' 11" Jr.) and a kill by Leah Ayers (5' 6" Jr.). Though Lindsey Johnson's kill through a double-block pulled the Lady Indians within one (16-17), the Lady Indians would not lead again in the set. Two more WC runs soon stretched the margin to 18-25. St. Francis only earned one kill in the final 10 volleys. There were 6 lead changes and 7 ties during the set.
Each team had three runs in the second set with the final St. Francis run occurring when most needed. Receiving an ace by Lauren Johnson, a stuff and kill by Lindsey Johnson, and a kill by Jessica Confer, the Lady Indians jumped out to a 5-2 lead. WC answered with a four-point run including a kill by A. Kuhlman and two aces by Ayers to take the lead. A four-point SF run included a kill by Mia Morrow and an ace by McKenna Poling and established a 10-7 advantage. The next WC run (three points) tied the match at 12-all. WC gifted the Lady Indians points on their next two service attempts with errors. An ace by Karly Bandel made the score 15-13, but another three-point run including a kill by Kuhlman and an ace by Ayers placed the Lady Cats back in front 15-16. Confer's kill off-a-block-attempt and no-play ace moved the scoreboard to 17-16. WC responded with kills by Kuhlman and Chaney triggering a St. Francis time-out (17-18). Only two more kills would be recorded by either team in the remainder of the set. Lindsey Johnson's kill tied the set at 18-all. Confer's kill broke a 21-all tie. St. Francis earned points on the last five volleys of the set to win 25-21. The teams had six lead changes and 12 ties during the set.
As the match continued, the play of the Lady Indians slowly improved. The Lady Indians took full control in the final set allowing only one run (four pts.) to the Lady Cats. The Lady Indians opened the set with an 8-point run. The run opened with a stuff-block by Hannah Zimbal followed by two kills by Jessica Confer and two aces by Lauren Johnson enroute to a comfortable early lead. WC responded with a four-point run coming on a kill by Chaney and three Lady Indian errors (8-4). A stretch of improved play moved the advantage to 14-9 but also included two missed serves by the Lady Indians. The next St. Francis run, 9 points in length, would find the Lady Indians looking sharp. The run featured kills by Confer (3), Zimbal, Lauren Johnson, an ace by Mia Morrow, and a stuff-block by Zimbal. St. Francis had extended their lead to 23-9. A strong kill by Hennick ended the fun, but Confer answered with a powerful spike on the next volley. A WC passing error on a good hit by Zimbal ended the set. St. Francis won set three and the match 25-11.
The winless Triplains-Brewster Lady Titans provided little resistance for the Lady Indians. Though the Lady Titans played hard and hustled very well throughout the contest, the outcome of the match was not in doubt. Triplains-Brewster (TB) opened set one with a missed serve; one of three they would have in the set. After a SF setting error, the Lady Indians reeled off a ten-point run before missing a serve of their own. The run included kills by Lauren Johnson, Jessica Confer, Lindsey Johnson (2), McKenna Poling, and four aces from Karly Bandel. Latasha Fellhoelter (5' 6" Sr.) earned a kill for TB moving the score to 11-3 before the Lady Titans missed their second serve of the set. The service error began a 5-point SF run that included kills by Lindsey Johnson, Mia Morrow, and Lauren Johnson as well as an ace by Confer (16-3). The Lady Titans then earned their only run of the set (4 points on three SF miscues and an ace by Lora Peterson (5' 7" Fr.)) to narrow the margin to 16-7. A tip-kill by Lindsey Johnson was followed by two kills by Morrow and an ace by Poling increasing the margin back to 13 points (20-7). With several St. Francis substitutes seeing action, the Lady Indians cruised to a 25-9 win in set one. Morrow recorded an kill and two aces in the closing volleys.
Lauren Johnson opened set two with an ace. Kills by Jessica Confer and Lauren Johnson moved the score to 3-1. A kill by Lindsey Johnson was followed by a three-point run by TB placing SF at a 4-5 deficit. The TB run included a kill by Fellhoelter. Trailing 5-7 after a communication error, the Lady Indians completed a 14-point run to take a 19-7 lead. The action featured kills by Lauren Johnson, Mia Morrow (5), and Hannah Zimbal as well as two aces by Lindsey Johnson. It was time for more substitutes to see action. The next SF run, three points in length, resulted from a kill by Confer, an ace by Lauren Johnson, and over-set kill by Jordyn Faulkender. Trailing 24-12, TB continued to battle and earned a 4-point run which included two kills by Samantha Cozza (5' 4" So.) to narrow the margin. St. Francis defeated the Lady Titans 25-15 in set two.The Lady Indians will play in the Northwest Kansas League Volleyball Tournament in Hoxie on Saturday, October 13. The Lady Indians have earned the #1 seed and will play Greeley County in the their first match at approximately 10 a.m. on Saturday in the Hoxie High School Gymnasium.
The Lady Indians will compete in the Regional Volleyball Tournament to be held in St. Francis on Tuesday, October 16. The tournament begins at 2 p.m.
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