By Staff for www.mcpherson-county-ks.com
MCPHERSON – The season began on Thursday for the McPherson Middle School eighth grade volleyball team as they hosted a triangular with Salina South and Hutchinson.
Between the ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams, the Junior Lady Pups went 3-1 for the day.
8TH “A” TEAM RESULTS:
For the eighth-grade Junior Lady Pups ‘A’ team they went 2-0 for the day beginning with a three-set battle against Salina South.
After dominating the first set, 25-8, Salina South bounced back and nipped the Junior Lady Pups 23-25 in the second set before McPherson buried Salina South 15-2 in the third set to gain the win.
It only took straight sets for the eighth-grade Junior Lady Pups to defeat Hutchinson, winning 25-13, 25-16 for the two-match sweep on the day.
“The ‘A’ team played a strong couple of matches this evening,” explained head coach Christine Pianalto. “Our girls fought hard and played with enthusiasm, putting together some impressive rallies and solid serving. They passed well, and the front row recorded quite a few strong kills.”
8th “B” TEAM RESULTS:
For the eighth-grade Junior Lady Pups ‘B’ team, they fought hard and swept Salina South in straight sets, winning 25-20 and 25-18.
Against Hutchinson, they took a hard-fought loss in set one, 19-25, but then bounced back to score a convincing 10-point, 25-15 win in the second set before the Junior Lady Salt Hawks scored a 10-15 win on McPherson to win the match overall.
With ‘B’ team coach Tami Malm unavailable, substitute coach Jacque Colgrove noted that the team played well for their first matches of the season and the coaches were looking forward to next week.
On Tuesday, September 6, the eighth-grade Junior Lady Pups will return to the courts with a road trip to Newton to battle Newton and Hays.
(The Staff covering McPherson County Activities can be reached by email at crossdovewriter@gmail.com)