By ROWENA PLETT

Staff writer

After being seeded sixth in its own invitational tournament Saturday, Centre was pleased to finish fourth.

The team was surprised to face a weak Berean Academy in the first match, defeating them handily in two games, 25-12 and 25-13.

Freshmen Alyssa Espinoza and her twin sister, Samantha, combined for 25 service points and 11 aces.

Centre fell to second-seed Rural Vista in the next set, losing two consecutive games, 25-17 and 25-16.

The girls faced Wichita Homeschool in their final match in pool play.

After a 25-15 loss in the first game, they rebounded to win the next two. The final game proved to be a long one. Centre led until the 15-15 mark and then trailed before tying it up at 24-24.

The team and fans were excited as they tied the game again and again, finally pulling out a win at 30-28.

Alyssa Espinoza served for 11 points, and Emily Schlesener served for 10.

Facing top-seeded Marion in the playoffs, the girls didn’t have a chance, losing two games, 25-11 and 25-13.

They went on to play Herington in consolation, losing in two games, 25-16 and 25-21, for a fourth-place finish.

“We have a very young team,” coach Karen Nickel said. “At times there were three freshmen, two sophomores, and one senior on the floor. After big losses to Rural Vista on Tuesday, we kept them on their toes today.

“I am very proud of my team and the hard work they accomplished this weekend. We definitely have some things to work on, but we improve each time we play.”