Staff writer
The Centre High School volleyball team emerged undefeated from pool play Saturday and went on to take second place in the Wheat State League Tournament at Peabody.
They defeated Solomon, 25-19 and 25-13, Hope, 25-13 and 25-18, and Peabody-Burns, 25-19 and 25-20.
The semifinal match was tougher. The Lady Cougars had to play three games to defeat Elyria, winning the final game in a close 26-24 contest. They won the first game, 25-15, and lost the second, 18-25.
Anna Weber completed 24 of 25 total spike attempts including nine kills and had three blocks. Cacey Simons was eight of nine with five kills and five blocks. Bryanna Svoboda was a perfect eight and had seven kills. She also compiled 13 service points. Beka Basore was six of nine including two kills. Ellie Miller was a perfect five and had three kills and three blocks.
Centre faced top-seeded Goessel in the championship game, and that proved to be a different story. The Lady Bluebirds came on strong and overwhelmed the Lady Cougars, 25-15 and 25-13. Most of Centre’s points were rally points.
Coach Yvonne Burhoop was pleased that her team won the first three matches in two sets. She said five of her starters had suffered a variety of minor injuries by the time they faced Goessel in the championship, keeping them from playing at their full potential.
With a record of 4-1 on the day, Centre improved its record to 19-12 overall. Along with Goessel, they will play Saturday in a substate tournament at Rosalia.
“On Saturday, we will need to play without making mental errors and be consistent with all basic skills,” she said. “When we are healthy we can compete with most teams.”