LEROY — The Crest Lady Lancers picked up their second win in three days while splitting Monday’s triangular against Jayhawk-Linn and Southern Coffey County.
After falling to the Jayhawk-Linn Jayhawks in their opener, the Crest Lancers swept the host Southern Coffey County Lady Titans for their second Three Rivers League win.
“With us finally getting some wins, it would be nice to get a rematch with Jayhawk-Linn but I don’t think we get one,” Crest coach Carley Crow said. “They’re a team we can beat, we just have to get on the same page and fight for every point.”
The Lady Lancers traded blow for blow with the Jayhawks in the opening set. A pair of consecutive aces by senior outside hitter Hannah Schmidt pushed the contest into extra sets, but consecutive Crest shots into the net sealed the victory for Jayhawk-Linn. An ace by senior setter Harlow Rush, a Schmidt kill and a block by junior middle blocker Gracyn Ellington gave the Lady Lancers an early 6-3 advantage, but they could not maintain their momentum as the Jayhawks rallied to take the set 25-16.
“For us, the big thing is communication, and we have to talk about everything that’s happening,” Coach Crow said. “When we communicate, it brings up the energy and keeps the momentum going.”Although ending the night early with a sweep of the Lady Titans, for Crest the second set was not as easy as the Lady Lancers expected after they cruised to a 25-13 victory in the first set. The Lady Titans capitalized off a slew of Crest miscues and pulled within a pair of scores of the Lady Lancers following a kill by junior outside hitter Alexis Riedenger. A kill by Ellington seemed to shift the momentum for the final time as Crest took the lead. A push by senior outside hitter Jaycee Schmidt, followed by a kill from junior middle blocker Summer Valentine set up match point. Another kill from Valentine sealed the match and the sweep 25-19.
“We saw that was a shifting point, so we had to lock in and work as a team together,” said Ellington, who was a force at the net along with Valentine Monday. “We complement each other and when one of us does a good job at the net it fires each of us up. It feels good, but we’re not at our full potential yet.”
With the win, the Lady Lancers improved their overall record to 3-13 but importantly they improved to 3-4 in the Jayhawk Conference. They hoped to get above .500 in the conference with wins over Oswego and Erie while hosting a triangular Tuesday but the results from those matches were not available at press time. They face Chetopa and Northeast for another TRL triangular Tuesday, Sept. 29, with games beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Lady Titans resilient
Although swept in their home triangular, Southern Coffey County coach Jeff True was encouraged by his team’s performance. They opened the triangular with a 25-10, 25-13 loss to Jayhawk-Linn, but remained competitive early only to fall away in the later goings of each set. True attributed his team’s shortcomings to missing starters including starting freshman outside hitter Austin Morray.
Morray received 16 staples following a rollover accident prior to the triangular and was held out as a precaution. With players in a new rotation with only days to prepare, Coach True said he like how his team performed under adversity.
“We played well in spurts, but it was consistency,” Coach True said. “Our freshman setter was in a rollover accident outside west of town, so she got 16 staples in her head. She’s out for two weeks and we also lost a sophomore for disciplinary issues so she’s going to be out for two weeks too. It forced us to do some things we weren’t quite ready to do yet, and I was proud of the girls for how they competed.”
The Lady Titans returned to the hardwood Tuesday for a triangular at Yates Center, but the results were not available at press time. They will participate in the Whitewater High School Volleyball Tournament Saturday with games beginning at 9 a.m.
MONDAY’S LEADERS:
Southern Coffey County
Kills: Reidinger 8; Madalynn Garretson 7, Kaylee Isch 1. Aces: Garretson 4; Layla Decker 1. Digs: Reidinger 5, Kaylee Isch 5, Decker 2, Addison Watts 1.
Crest stats not available at press time.
