By Staff for www.mcpherson-county-ks.com
MCPHERSON – Hosting their first matches of the season on Tuesday, the McPherson Middle School seventh-grade volleyball team scored three wins and one loss in matches with Hays and Newton Chisholm.
“A” Team Results: The seventh grade ‘A’ team won both their matches over Hays (9-25, 27-25, 15-13) and Newton Chisholm (25-19, 25-13). The Junior Lady Pups are now 3-1 for the season.
In the first set with Hays, the Junior Lady Pups ‘A’ team had to go three sets before getting a win after getting smashed in the first set 9-25 before bouncing back with wins of 27-25, 15-13.
“We settled in after a rough first set against Hays and started working together and being more aggressive at the net,” explained seventh-grade head coach Shelley Bohme. “We got chances to serve in set two with Jersey Alexander and Karlie Cooper serving the ball well. In set three we jumped out to a big lead then had unforced errors allow Hays to close the gap before we were able to finish the set. Ellie Herrera, Kennedy Bonham, and Karlie (Cooper) all had great net play while Amarie Lowery brought some great energy and hustle after missing last week. Krysten Fenstermaker did a nice job with covering and helping, and Allison Randa had some really nice passes on defense, especially in set three when we needed them.”
In their straight set win over Newton, the first match was a bit tight winning 25-19 before putting the visitors away handily in the second set 25-13.
Coach Bohme concluded her reflections by saying, “While we struggled with some miscommunication and lineup changes against Newton, I was pleased with the effort, and very proud of how well the girls served. Jersey (Alexander) and Kennedy (Bonham) in particular had hot serving streaks, and I think we only missed one serve as a team!”
“B” Team Results: The ‘B’ team is now 2-2 for the season after losing to Hays 18-25, 17-25 before coming back to bounce a win off Newton Chisholm 25-19, 25-14.
According to ‘B’ team coach Katherine Cooper, “Although we did not win the first match, the girls came together for the second one and got a win. They worked hard on getting the ball over the net. Several players had strong serving streaks. I am very proud of how the team played tonight and I know they are looking forward to future matches.”
Next up for the Junior Lady Pups seventh-grade volleyball team will be on Thursday, September 8 at Goddard Eisenhower Middle School for matches with Newton North and Goddard Eisenhower.
(The Staff covering McPherson County Activities can be reached by email at crossdovewriter@gmail.com)