Goessel sprints to 10-0 start
Staff writers
It was a Saturday full of volleyball for Marion County high schools. All five teams played in tournaments, while Goessel remained perfect at 10-0.
Goessel
Goessel, which has yet to drop a set this season, rolled out five-straight victories during its home tournament.
The Bluebirds defeated Hutchinson Central Christian, South Haven, Sedgwick, Berean Academy, and Moundridge to keep their winning streak alive two weeks into the season. They won each match 2-0.
“Winning a tournament like this gives the girls the confidence that they can go 5-0 in a Saturday tournament,” coach Crysta Guhr said. “These girls have grown up from a year ago.”
When facing Sedgwick, Guhr coached against her twin sister, Karen Stucky. Family ties didn’t stop the Bluebirds from taking 25-18 and 25-13 victories, however.
Moundridge, which is ranked No. 4 in Class 2A according to Maxpreps, proved most worthy opponent against the Bluebirds in the tournament’s championship match.
Goessel trailed 18-17 in the second set, but rattled off a 6-0 run to help win the game and match, 25-22.
The Bluebirds will face Lyons and Douglass on Thursday.
Marion
Marion made a short trip Saturday to Centre for the Cougars’ annual invitational. The Warriors placed third as a team after losing to Wichita Home School in the tournament’s semifinals. Marion now is 7-8 to begin its season.
“We are very proud of our girls,” coach Kayley Davis said. “They opened the day with some of the best volleyball I’ve seen them play against state-ranked Little River, which seemed to give them the boost of confidence they need to win the following two matches.”
Next up, Marion will play host Saturday during its 20th annual SpikeFest Tournament.
Peabody-Burns
At the Solomon Invitational, Peabody-Burns placed third as a team.
The Warriors lost in three sets to Rock Hills, then beat Tescott and Solomon, but lost to Ell-Saline in three.
Other teams’ results pitted Peabody-Burns and Rock Hills in a rematch for third place. The Warriors returned the favor, winning in three sets.
“Every player contributed to our success in some way this weekend,” coach Clarissa Dutton said.
Senior Adyson Winter did it all statistically, leading the team with 64 kills, 11 aces, 17 assists, and 27 digs throughout Saturday’s tournament.
Winter also broke a 17-year-old school record in kills, bringing her career total to 652 with plenty of season left to play.
“This is the third school record she has broken,” Dutton said. “She broke the career aces record at our home tournament two weeks ago and broke the season kills record at the end of last season.”
Peabody-Burns will play back-to-back matches Monday against St. Xavier and Newton at home.
Hillsboro
The Trojan volleyball team traveled to Southeast of Saline’s tournament Saturday, placing sixth as a team.
Hillsboro opened up the tournament by defeating Concordia but then lost to Circle and Southeast of Saline. The Trojans bounced back with a victory over Salina South and then lost to Abilene in the consolation finals.
Coach Sandy Arnold credited the rough weekend to players starting the year out of position.
“We have two returning varsity players, and both are playing new positions,” Arnold said. “Amyah Werth was our three-year starting libero and is now an outside hitter. Daisy Klein was a defensive specialist the last three years but is now our setter.”
Hillsboro will be host for its second home matches of the season Thursday against Sedgwick.
Centre
Centre played host to its annual volleyball tournament Saturday and saw Little River crowned as champion.
“We had a tougher time at the beginning of the tournament,” coach Timothy Vinduska said. “However, our team improved as the tournament went along.”
The Cougars lost to all three opponents they faced — Wichita Homeschool, Marion, and Little River — but made it a fight each time.
“The environment was exciting and our girls fed off the energy of playing a great team,” Vinduska said. “Unfortunately, we did not get out of pool play but we did get a bit better with our young team.”
The Cougars’ will play Tuesday on the road against Canton-Galva.