Hillsboro, Goessel advance in volleyball;
Marion benches senior starters
Staff writers
Hillsboro and Goessel had overall winning records for the weekend.
Centre, Peabody-Burns, and Marion, which benched its starters for one match, failed to advance beyond pool play.
Hillsboro
The Trojans finished second Saturday in a tournament at Southeast of Saline, ending the day with four victories and one loss.
Hillsboro ran through Abilene in two sets, battled with Salina and Salina South in three sets each, and then ran through Smoky Valley in two sets to make the finals.
“We did some really good things Saturday,” coach Sandy Arnold said. “We are competing with high-level teams and are winning matches that push us to the limit, and that says a lot about our growth in our mental toughness.”
It was Trojans vs. Trojans in the final match. Beloit won in two sets, 25-19 and 25-16.
“We have a tough schedule, and we are hoping it will prepare us for postseason play,” Arnold said.
Hillsboro will hit the road Thursday to play Sedgwick.
Goessel
The Bluebirds came away with three victories and two losses for third place out of eight schools in their own invitational Saturday.
The Bluebirds dominated Fairfield and South Haven. In Goessel’s third match, neighboring Moundridge came out just barely ahead, 27-25 and 25-23.
Goessel then faced Sedgwick, losing in another close match, 25-21 and 25-20.
Canton-Galva posed competition for third place. In the first set, Goessel scored 11 unanswered points to win 25-13. The Eagles kept the second set close, with Goessel winning 25-19.
The Bluebirds are 5-4 overall and 1-0 in Wheat State League games. Goessel next will be home with Little River and Canton-Galva
Peabody-Burns
The Warriors finished Saturday’s Soloman tournament with a victory and three losses.
The girls lost to Ell-Saline, Elyria Christian, and Flint Hills but swept Wakefield in two sets.
“There is not an athlete on this team who didn’t contribute in one way or another this weekend,” coach Clarissa Dutton said. “Freshman Journey Needham has really stepped into the role she was given and is a fantastic six-rotation team player who goes out on the court and gives relentless effort while staying dependable in every position.”
Kills and blocks for the weekend were led by juniors Adyson Winter and Sarah Winfrey.
Dutton said they brought “power to the front row while also providing consistency and dependability in the back row.”
“Junior Brooklynn Whiteside and sophomore Ashlee Salazar-Fritz went out and executed their duties every time they were called upon, showing solid progress in areas we’ve been focused on improving,” Dutton said.
The Warriors’ next games will be Tuesday against Wakefield and Solomon.
“Even though we’re small in numbers, every single athlete plays a big role in what we do and that makes all the difference,” Dutton said. “We’ve made tremendous progress this season, and these athletes have laid a strong foundation for us to keep building on.”
Centre
The Cougars were unable to make bracket play later in the afternoon at their own annual invitational Saturday.
Centre lost to Wichita Homeschool and Rural Vista, missing the semi-finals. There was cause for celebration, however, in a two-set victory over Herington, giving coach Amy Finch her 400th career victory.
Centre will travel Saturday to Dexter.
Marion
After losing in two sets Saturday at Centre to Berean, Marion coach Keri Collett benched her varsity starters and played junior varsity starters for all three sets against Wichita Gladiators. No senior players were subbed in at any time.
The junior varsity responded, beating the Gladiators in three sets.
“All 12 players that suit up for varsity are varsity players and have a right to play,” Collett said.
For the last match in pool play, varsity starters were back on the court against Little River.
“It was nice to get a win at the tournament, and we showed much improvement in the second set against Little River, sticking with them throughout,” Collett said.
The Warriors finished third in their pool play and didn’t make the semi-finals in the afternoon.
Marion will be host Saturday for its annual Spike Fest.