Sports editor
The Marion High School volleyball team had an up and down Saturday to put an end to an up and down season, losing to Hutchinson Trinity in three games in the first round of the Remington 3A sub-state tournament.
The Warriors lost the first game 25-10, bounced back with a 25-17 victory in game two, before falling 25-16 in the deciding game three.
The team finished the season 13-22, as head coach Jim Versch was hoping to make some noise at sub-state.
“I don’t know what happened,” he said. “Our skills are there, it’s all mental.”
Versch had talked to his team about “getting over the hump,” because it has come close in a lot of losing matches during the season.
Late in game three, it looked like the Warriors would get over that proverbial hump.
Despite trailing 6-0 to open the game and 17-7 midway through, the Warriors had a chance.
A net error by Hutch Trinity triggered an 8-0 MHS run that cut the lead to 17-15.
A kill by Julia Zeiner, an ace by Whitney Gordon, and block by Ralene Allen were included in the run.
However, Marion would score only one point the rest of the way, albeit an impressive kill from Kayley Heerey that bounced off the head of a Celtic player, en route to the loss.
The Warriors managed just eight total kills in games one and three, compared with 11 in the victorious game two.
What was most impressive about the victory, is five different Warriors accounted for the first five kills of the game.
Kristen Steinborn led off the game with a kill, Lindsay Hett recorded one to make the score 3-1, Gordon had one at 6-3, Chassidy Carlson at 8-3, and Zeiner at 11-4.
By the time Zeiner recorded her kill it was too much for the Celtics to overcome.
They used a 5-0 run to trim a 15-8 Marion lead to 15-13, but then Heerey took over.
She had two kills and two aces during the next seven points, and the Warriors all but sealed up the game at 21-14, eventually winning by eight.
Despite the loss, Versch can take solace in the fact he will not lose one player to graduation this season.
“That’s fantastic,” he said after the game.
He said next year the main focus will be on the mental aspect of the game because he knows the talent is there.
Most of the seniors on next year’s squad will be starting for the third or fourth consecutive season.
Versch also said he thinks the girls will be much improved because many of them will have another basketball and spring sport season under their belts, which only can help.
“I’m looking forward to next season,” Versch said.