Split leaves Warrior volleyball with mirror image of last season
Sports reporter
Marion High School volleyball team split with Smoky Valley Sept. 20 improving its record to 3-1 in the Mid-Central Activities Association, and 9-8 overall.
That's the good news.
The bad news is, so far MHS has won the exact matches it won last year at this point, a 10-20 season.
The past two years the Warriors won two-of-five at the league meet, two-of-three at a quad, two-of-five at the Centre tournament, swept Halstead, and split with Smoky Valley.
This year's Warriors aren't planning on a second-half repeat.
"The second half is pretty tough," Warrior head coach Kara Chisholm said. "Still, I think we will do much better this year."
In the first Smoky Valley match, Marion lost the first game 25-19, battled back for a 25-20 game-two victory, then fell in dominant fashion, 25-7.
Seniors Allie Maddox and Toni Gordon led the Warriors in the loss with four kills each, and in blocks with two each.
Senior Emalee Versch recorded a team, match-high of six digs.
"We came out flat in the first match, but bounced back for the second," Chisholm said.
The Warriors did come fight back in the second match, but only after dropping the first game, 25-21.
"Most of their errors in that game were because they were aggressive, and attacking the net," Chisholm said. "We'll take that."
MHS took the next two games in convincing fashion, 25-17 and 25-20, to earn a split.
Juniors Erin Carr and Kari Tajchman combined for nine kills during the match, and senior Toni Gordon recorded five digs.
The matches were two of 15 on the road or at a neutral site for MHS this season, compared to just two at home.
Chisholm doesn't think it bothers the players.
"They tend to play better on the road," she said. "They love playing at home, and I don't know if they are just too excited or nervous, but they play well on the road."
The Warriors took on Collegiate Tuesday during Senior Parent's Night, their final home match of the year.
They will look to smash the mirror image of last season by defeating their rival Hillsboro Tuesday in a MCAA match.
