Trojans are sub-state champs
Staff writers
A line out the door of fans, family, classmates, and friends waited Saturday to get into the Marion Sports and Aquatic Center to see this year’s Class 2A sub-state volleyball championship.
First on the court were No. 1 seed Hillsboro vs. No. 8 seed Northern Heights along with No. 2 seed Ell-Saline vs. No. 7 seed Sacred Heart.
Hillsboro came out dominate in both sets, eliminating Northern Heights, 25-5, 25-6. Ell-Saline scraped past Sacred Heart in a close two-set match, 25-20 in both.
Marion faced Herington in the first round. In the only game to go all three sets, Marion prevailing in the end. Bennington took out Lyndon 25-21, 25-11.
Hillsboro then ended Marion’s run in straight sets, 25-11, 25-12, to eliminate the Warriors.
Ultimately, Hillsboro faced No. 2 seed Ell-Saline in a championship game that ended in nail-biting fashion.
Hillsboro held opponents to 12 points or less in previous sets, but not Ell-Saline, which put up a hard fought battle, in its final set, barely missing an opportunity to force a third set, 25-23.
Hillsboro’s student section burst into jumps and screams as the Trojans celebrated their championship victory.
“The girls played with a great deal of energy,” Hillsboro coach Sandy Arnold said. “I thought our communication was excellent, the girls talked so well on the court and they listened too and showed great resilience during Ell-Saline’s run.”
Hillsboro will play this Friday morning in Dodge City at the 2A state championship.
Goessel
The Bluebird volleyball team advanced to the finals of the 1A substate at Goessel gym by defeated Central Plains 25-8, 25-17. They also took care of Rural Vista in two sets, 25-6, 25-17.
Against the top-ranked team in 1A, the Bluebirds stayed close in two sets. Goessel scored five unanswered points in the first set to lead 16-14, but the Little River Redskins worked their way back into the lead and won 25-22. In the second set, Goessel trailed 22-18 but found a way to tie the game 24-24. The taller Little River team eked out a 27-25 win.
Three senior varsity players, Emma Schroeder, Rylee Walker and Ashley Rosfeld, ended their high school careers with this match. The Bluebird record for the year was 24-14.
Centre
Centre ended its season with a second-place finish at its 1A sub-state tournament Saturday at Tescott. The Cougars were seeded second, with a record of 12-18.
They faced No. 1 seed Central Christian of Hutchinson (24-11) in the championship game and lost in two sets, 25-16 and 25-11.
Centre defeated 7th seed Chase in two sets in the first round, 25-22, 25-11.
The Cougars faced sixth-seed Tescott in the semifinals, winning easily in two sets, 25-8 and 25-5.
There are no seniors on the team, so all will get another chance to go to state next year.
“This year, the volleyball team made a lot of improvements from the start of the season,” coach Trevor Siebert said. “Several players were playing in new positions, and they all did a great job adapting. We set some team goals at the start of the season, and we were able to meet a lot of them.
“It was great to compete well at sub-state and make it to the championship match before losing to a very good Hutch-Central Christian team.”
Last modified Oct. 26, 2022