8th GRADE JUNIOR LADY PUPS WIN 2 IN SALINA

‘A’ Team now 8-3

By Staff

SALINA – After a rough Monday, the McPherson Middle School eighth-grade volleyball teams bounced back and scored a pair of wins on Thursday at Salina Lakewood.

In the ‘A’ team match, the Junior Lady Pups lost a two-point heartbreaker, 24-26, in set one but came back and scored a two-point win in set two, 27-25. In the decisive third set, it was all McPherson as they won 15-7.

“The Junior Lady Pups came out swinging tonight,” noted eighth-grade head coach Christine Pianalito. We played very close and while our serving was not great, the girls focused on their passing and teamwork. We were able to get a lot of great sets to our hitters and both Kennedy Bonham and Ellie Herrera each recorded at least six kills. We were active at the net with multiple blocks and the girls moved their feet to cover for one another on the court. I was happy to see the turn-around mentality.”

The ’A’ team is now 8-3 on the season.

As for the ‘B’ team eighth-grade Junior Lady Pups, they also needed three sets to get a match victory.

McPherson took a 25-19 win in set one only to see Salina Lakewood come back and win set two 18-25, but then the Lady Junior Pups scored a five-point, 15-10, win in set three for the match victory.

The win gives the ‘B’ team a season mark of 3-8.

According to ‘B’ team coach Tami Malm, “We started out strong and were focused in our first set. The girls were communicating and moving their feet really well. For some reason we lost our focus in the second set, but gained momentum at the end of the set and were able to keep that momentum throughout the third set. We changed our lineup some since our last match and I am pleased with how the girls responded and pulled together.”

On Saturday, September 23, the Junior Lady Pup eighth grade ‘B’ team will play at the Maize Invitational before both teams will return to the courts on Monday for a triangular at Arkansas City.

(The Staff covering McPherson County Activities can be reached by email at macks.people.places@gmail.com)