Warriors battle, fall short against Collegiate
Sports reporter
Despite staying close the entire night, Marion High School dropped two matches Sept. 27 at Wichita Collegiate.
Junior Toni Gordon and senior Leann Thomas combined for 15 kills, but Marion lost all four games to Collegiate with scores of 25-19, 25-20, 25-21, and 25-20.
"They did a great job of coming back like they always do," said head coach Kara Chisholm.
Fighting back is what kept the Warriors from being blown out. In one game they were tied at 18, and in the first game of the second match were tied at 21 before giving up four straight points to end the match.
The night started with Marion and Collegiate trading points in the first game. A carry by a Collegiate player tied the match at 11. Collegiate then used a 10-2 run to put the game out of reach.
Thomas and junior Megan Hudson each had two kills in the game.
Game two started off like the first, with the two teams tied at 11. This time Marion played better late, and the match was tied at 17.
But Collegiate's tough front line dominated Marion the rest of the way, to claim the five-point victory.
Senior Amber Richmond led MHS with three kills.
"Our coverage wasn't there all the time," Chisholm said. "But Collegiate has a great front line, and great setter. They are one of the best teams in the league."
After the break, it seemed like Collegiate had finally worn down Marion, jumping out to a 15-6 lead.
Just as quickly as they got down, the Warriors fought back. A few kills by Marion and some errors by the Spartans tied the match at 21.
That was as close as they would get. Two Marion errors, followed by two Collegiate kills, ended the match for the Warriors.
Thomas led Marion with two kills.
Game four featured more close play, with the teams tied at 8.
Gordon then went on a roll. She recorded five kills out of the Warriors' next six points, as Marion jumped ahead 15-13.
Collegiate used a small run of its own to jump ahead, but another kill by Gordon pulled Marion within one at 21-20.
Just like the first game, the Spartans rattled off four straight points to end the game, and the match.
Gordon finished the game with six kills.
Even with the two losses, Chisholm was happy to see an improvement after the break.
"They played much better the second match," she said. "Our serving was awesome — 100%. You can't ask for much more than that."
Gordon finished with a team high eight kills on the night, while Thomas ended with seven.
On the defensive side, junior Megan Hudson and senior Sarah Williams led the team with 20 digs each.
Seniors Amber Richmond and Whitney Wear had 12 digs each, and senior Jill Hannaford chipped in with 11.
The losses drop the Warriors to 3-3 in the Mid-Central Activities Association and 9-10 overall.
Marion hosted Hillsboro Tuesday. Results will be in next week's Marion County Record.
