ELYRIA SPIKERS OPEN SEASON WITH PAIR OF WINS

Laney Reiff Dishes 30 Assists, Julia Allen Makes 31 Digs

By Staff

ELYRIA – It was a great way to kick off the 2023 season for the Elyria Christian volleyball team as they scored a pair of wins at home on Tuesday over Central Christian and Wichita Homeschoolers.

“I am really proud of our heart this evening,” said Lady Eagle head coach Jayme Gardner. “We played some really good tams in WAHAA (Wichita Homeschoolers) and Central Christian. They made us work for every point we got.”

It did not go well in the opening set of both the match and the season with Central Christian as the Lady Eagles dropped the opening set by two, 24-26, before bouncing back to score a seven point, 25-18, win in set two followed by a strong, hang on for the win in set three, 25-21.

Laney Reiff dished out 19 assists and Julia Allen recorded 23 digs to led the Lady Eagles in the contest. Elyria totaled 90 digs in the three-set match as Addison Swenson dug out 19.

In the second match of the day, the Lady Eagles held off the Wichita Homeschoolers by three, 25-22, in the first set before making it a straight set win with a five-point victory, 25-20, in the second set.

Once again, Laney Reiff led the team in assists with 11, giving her 30 for the day while Julia Allen totaled eight more digs to give her 31 over the two matches.

As a team, the Lady Eagles totaled out 124 digs for the two matches while recording 37 kills and 36 service aces. Elyria also connected on 94.2% of their serves, having just seven errors on 121 serves.

Coach Gardner finished her reflections of the season opener by noting, “Our girls really rose to the occasion and found the fight they needed to keep the ball off of the floor.”

Next up for the Lady Eagle spikers will be a road trip to Centre on Tuesday, September 5.

ELYRIA CHRISTIAN LADY EAGLES VOLLEYBALL hosting Wichita Homeschool/Central Christian

MATCH # 1:

LADY EAGLES defeated Central Christian 24-26, 25-18, 25-21 = 2-1

LADY EAGLE INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS:

Assists (22) > Laney Reiff – 19; Jory Glendening – 2; Julia Allen – 1.

Blocks (6) > Brooke Davidson – 5; Macy Reiff, Joy Pyle – 4; Laney Reiff – 3.

Digs (90) > Julia Allen – 23; Addison Swenson – 19; Macy Reiff – 14; Reagan Broadhus – 13; Jory Glendening – 9; Brooke Davidson – 2.

Kills (23) > Brooke Davidson – 9; Macy Reiff – 8; Addison Swenson, Laney Reiff – 2; Julia Allen – 1.

Service Aces (5) > Julia Allen – 2; Laney Reiff, Reagan Broadhus, Macy Reiff – 1.

Errors/Serve > Elyria Christian Team – 5/72 = 93.1%.

MATCH #2:

LADY EAGLES defeated WAHAA (Wichita Homeschool) 25-22, 25-20 = 2-0

LADY EAGLES INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS:

Assists (14) > Laney Reiff – 11; Jory Glendening – 3.

Blocks (2) > Brooke Davidson, L. Reiff – 1.

Digs (34) > Julia Allen – 8; Macy Reiff – 7; Reagan Broadhus – 9; Addison Swenson – 6; Jory Glendening – 4; Laney Reiff – 3.

Kills (14) > Addison Swenson, Brooke Davidson – 6; Macy Reiff, Joy Pyle – 1.

Service Aces (3) > Laney Reiff – 2; Reagan Broadhus – 1.

Errors/Serve > Elyria Christian Team – 2/49 = 95.9%.

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