Trojans keep winning; Warriors battle short-handed
Staff writer
Hillsboro extended its winning streak, Marion and Goessel competed in a tournament at Canton-Galva, and Centre and Peabody-Burns had the weekend off in volleyball.
Marion
After a two-game loss Thursday against Inman, Marion was looking to bounce back strong Saturday in the Canton-Galva tournament.
In the pool play, Marion defeated Canton-Galva and Goessel but lost to Halstead.
In tournament play, Marion wasn’t able to get past top seed Little River and ended up third after defeating Solomon.
“I felt our team played well together Saturday,” coach Kris Burkholder said. “We were down three varsity players, two of them starters, due to sickness and other commitments. We had players playing in different positions than they normally play in, and we had players playing who have not seen much time on varsity this year.”
The Warriors rose to the occasion, allowing them to still compete at a high level.
“We came out strong against Little River, trying to get to that championship match, and won the first set, 28-26. In the second set, we just dug ourselves a hole that we could not get out of at the very beginning. We rallied back in the third set but could not push through for the win. I am proud of how our girls kept battling,” Burkholder said.
Hillsboro
Hillsboro (23-1) extended its winning streak to 15 after beating Belle Plaine, 25-10 and 25-12,and Moundridge, 25-17 and 25-20.
Trojan Zaylee Werth leads the team in kills per set with 5.2 and a hitting percentage of 0.329. Kirsten Kluver leads in total blocks with 22, and Kori Arnold averages 4.4 digs per set.
Hillsboro will be facing off against Emporia (21-6) and Great Bend (13-10) on the road.
Goessel
At the Canton-Galva tournament Saturday, Goessel lost to Halstead, 17-25 and 19-25, and defeated Canton-Galva, 25-16 and 25-22.
Against Marion, Goessel played tentatively and lost the first set, 14-25.In the second, the Bluebirds kept the ball from hitting the floor and won, 25-20.Receiving errors in the middle of the third doomed the Bluebirds as they fell to the Warriors, 21-25.
In a match for fifth place, Goessel defeated Wichita Homeschoolers, 25-15 and 25-8.
The Bluebirds finished the week with an overall record of 16-10.Goessel will play Elyria and Little River in the final Wheat State League games for this season.
Staff writer Delbert Peters contributed to this story.