Sports editor
If they had to choose, any coach would rather their team be playing better at the end of the year than the beginning.
Jim Versch is getting his wish.
The Marion High School volleyball team had arguably its best night of the season Sept. 30 in the final home matches of the season.
Mid-Central Activities Association foes Sterling and Smoky Valley came to town, and left with losses to the Warriors.
MHS (10-13) began the night by dispatching Sterling (5-15) in less than 45 minutes, 25-13, 25-20.
Junior Julia Zeiner led a balanced attack with six kills, while Lindsay Hett had four, Kathy Goering and Kayley Heerey two, and Chassidy Carlson, 10 assists, Kristen Steinborn and Whitney Gordon each added one.
MHS never let Sterling get close in the match, using the home crowd to cruise against a Black Bears team that had defeated the Warriors in the MCAA pre-season tournament.
The victory surpassed last season’s win-total of eight.
Marion avenged earlier-season losses to Smoky Valley (7-9) as well, knocking off the Vikings 28-26, 18-25, 25-11.
After playing two hard-fought games to begin the match, the Warriors turned their play up a notch, while the Vikings ran out of gas.
It was Zeiner again leading the way with 10 kills on a .217 attack percentage.
Heerey hit .385 on 13 attacks with seven kills.
Steinborn (.333) and Hett (.375) helped contribute to the team’s .246 percentage for the match.
Carlson and Hett helped set up the attackers with 10 and eight assists respectively.
The Warriors played Tuesday at Collegiate and have another five days to prepare before heading to Halstead Tuesday for a quad.
Only the Hillsboro tournament Oct. 18 and the Haven quad Oct. 21 remain before the Oct. 25 sub-state at Remington.