By ALEXANDER SIMONE

Staff writer

Local volleyball teams rolled into substate competitions Saturday with high expectations, and no team reached greater heights than Hillsboro, who won its championship.

The Trojans entered as the top seed at Inman’s Class 2A and they showed why by dropping just one set the whole day.

Hillsboro opened the day needing three sets to dispose of Hutchinson’s Trinity Catholic.

Their second opponent, Sterling, gave the Trojans fits during the regular season. It was a different story Saturday, as they dominated Sterling in a straight-set victory.

The championship was more of the same story. The Trojans dominated Inman in the first set, 25-11, and cruised to take the substate title.

Marion also entered substate weekend with high hopes, coming in as the 2-seed at Herington’s Class 2A tournament.

Marion season cut short in 2nd round

The Warriors opened substate play at Herington with a solid first match, disposing of Bennington in straight sets, 25-19 and 25-11.

Problems arose in the second round, where the Warriors were eliminated in by Valley Heights. Marion lost in straight sets, 25-21 and 25-17.

It ended as what likely was coach Kris Burkholder’s most successful season heading the varsity team, as Marion went 24-10 overall.

Centre advances
to substate final

Centre performed up to its substate ranking as a 2-seed at Saturday’s Class 1A tournament by advancing to the final against Central Christian.

The Cougars won straight sets, 26-24 and 25-17 against Elyria Christian to reach the championship.

It was the opposite story in the final, as Centre lost two sets, 25-17 and 25-18 to end its season.

Peabody-Burns falls in 3 sets

Peabody-Burns opened play at Burrton substate and took the host school to three sets. The Warriors won the match’s first set 26-24, but lost the two remaining sets 25-18 and 25-19 to end their season.

Mya Winter led the team with 10 kills, 4 blocks, and 3 ace serves. Mackenzie Eden also had 7 kills, and Kaete Johnson added 18 assists.

Goessel bounced early at substate

Goessel faced Little River for the third time this season Saturday at substate but the Bluebirds ended with the short end of the stick. Goessel took the host school to three sets, which included a 25-20 second-set win.

However, it wasn’t enough, as they lost the first set 25-22, and third set 25-20. The early exit ended Goessel’s season with a record of 16-17.

Reporter Delbert Peters contributed to this story.