McPherson Eighth Grade Volleyball Teams Stay Unbeaten with Road Sweeps
A Team remains perfect at 12-0, B Team improves to 14-1 with dominant performances at Clearwater triangular
The McPherson Middle School eighth grade volleyball teams continued their impressive seasons Monday at Clearwater, with both squads sweeping their triangular matches to extend their winning streaks.
The A Team overcame a sluggish start to defeat Clearwater 29-27, 25-14 before dispatching Winfield 25-12, 25-19 to improve to a perfect 12-0 on the season. The Bullpups battled through dropped balls, net errors and serve receive mistakes early before shaking off their "case of the Mondays" to rally for an extra-point victory in the opening set against Clearwater.
After falling behind 0-8 to start the second set, McPherson regrouped to dominate the remainder of the match with improved serve receive and aggressive net play. The momentum carried into the Winfield match, where the Bullpups displayed sharp passing and powerful hitting.
Middle hitter Breeley Smith anchored the offensive attack with seven kills while also contributing in the back row. Setters Noelle Schmidt and Rheamy Rierson combined for 28 assists, orchestrating the balanced offensive attack throughout both matches.
"The girls focused on moving their feet and communicating, and were able to get out of a couple of tight spots to win," said coach Christine Pianalto.
The B Team also swept both opponents, defeating Clearwater 25-16, 26-24 and Winfield 25-13, 25-12 to move to 14-1 overall. The squad came out strong but faced adversity in the second set against Clearwater before rallying with hustle plays and strong serving to secure the victory.
Both teams travel to Wellington Middle School next Monday, October 6, for a triangular against Wellington and Arkansas City.
Greg Loving
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