By MINDY KEPFIELD

Staff writer

Marion volleyball netted a second-place finish Saturday at its Spikefest tournament.

The Warriors were 4-1 for the day beating Halstead, Douglass, El Dorado, and Lyons.

Marion was host to eight teams, including Centre, which placed sixth.

Champion Eureka bested Marion 25-23 and 25-8.

Warrior senior Jayden May, junior Calli Burkholder, and sophomore Grace Hett all were standouts, coach Kris Burkholder said.

“Grace does a great job passing for us and Calli does a great job of placing the ball for our hitters,” the coach said. “Jayden was on fire with her hits Saturday, having many kills.”

Hett and May were named to the all-tournament team.

The Warriors battle began at 9 a.m. with three sets against Halstead.

Marion grabbed a 25-15 victory in the first, but lost 22-25 in the second. The Warriors rallied to eke out a 25-21 win in the third.

The Warriors beat El Dorado 28-26 and 25-17 to face Lyons.

Marion secured a victory in three close sets, losing 25-22 in the first and coming from behind 25-21 and 25-21 to move on to the championship.

“They did a great job of staying aggressive in close matches,” Burkholder said.

The Warriors have learned to place their serves and target their opponents’ weaker receivers, she said.

Middle hitters Riley Prior, a senior, and Kenna Wesner, a freshman, played well at the net, Burkholder said.

Warrior juniors Carly Wilhelm and Natalie Hoffner passed the ball well at crucial moments for the team, the coach said.

Sophomore Tessa Mendoza is proving to be a flexible asset for Marion.

“She came off the bench several times on Saturday, playing wherever we needed her to play at that time,” Burkholder said. “She played back row for us and did a nice job on defense as well.”

Marion will face Inman at 4 p.m. Thursday in Inman.

Goessel

The Goessel volleyball team won two non-league games Thursday, downing Douglass 25-11 and 25-15 in Moundridge.

The Bluebirds won in two sets against Chaparral’s Roadrunners 27-25 and 25-12 in their final match.

The Bluebirds are now 8-4 for the season and 1-2 in Wheat State League standings.

Goessel’s next tournament will be 8:30 a.m. Saturday at Olpe High School.

Other county teams

Hillsboro’s next meet will be 9 a.m. at Douglass. Peabody-Burns next tournament will be 8 a.m. at Wakefield.

Delbert Peters contributed to this report