The Iola Mustangs picked up their first Pioneer League victory while splitting Tuesday’s home triangular against Wellsville and Osawatomie.
The Wellsville Eagles kicked off the Pioneer League season by sweeping Monday’s triangular, handing Iola a 25-18, 25-19 loss in the opener, then sweeping the Osawatomie Trojans 25-21, 25-10. The Eagles lead the Pioneer League with a 2-0 record.
“I’m extremely proud of the way they battled back. It would have been really easy to lay down and die,” said Iola coach Lauren Moots. “I’m proud of the grit they showed to get back in the game and get a league win.”
The Mustangs seemed primed for an early night after cruising to a 25-12 victory on a slew of kills by senior outside hitters Zoie Hesse and Dally Curry, as well as junior sophomore outside hitters Haidyn Desmarteau and Lily Jerome.
Unforced errors by the Trojans on a pair of net balls gave Iola the first set.
“All of our hitters are more than able to put a ball away at any given moment,” Coach Moots said. “I’m glad Jerome stepped up and felt confident. We know she can do it. Seeing different people spark at different moments is great.”
Unforced errors plagued the Mustangs in the next set.
Blocks and kills by Curry, Jerome and sophomore middle hitter Camryn Wille kept the score close.
Miscommunications and errant shots allowed Osawatomie to build a 6-point cushion, which continued through match point.
Iola’s second set mistakes cropped up again in the third as the Trojans built an 8-point lead at the midway. But the Mustangs would not be denied a victory on their home court.
“It was just drive and ambition that pushed us all to get up there,” Jerome said. “We played as one team. It feels great coming back and winning this after putting in so much hard work.”
Curry and Hesse exploded in the final exchanges. Curry closed the gap to 2 points off a spike and a tip, then a block and a hard spike up the middle tied the game.
A change-of-pace tip by Desmarteau tied the game, but a net ball brought the contest to an end.
“We all really wanted it. I knew they were either going to start tipping or rolling (at the net), so I knew I had to jump later than I normally do,” Hesse said. “We all felt really good. We knew we could come back and what we’re capable of as a team. We could have got two (wins) tonight. We didn’t get everything we wanted, but Oz is a good team.”
With the win, the Mustangs have a 7-5 record and are 1-1 in Pioneer League.
The contests at Saturday’s Maize High School Volleyball Tournament will not count if they face a league team. Instead, they will wait for their opportunity to improve their position in the league standings Tuesday, when they face host Burlington and Santa Fe Trail for a triangular. First serve is at 4 p.m.
