From Coach June Rigney
Saturday was a great day to be a Pirate as the volleyball team captured the sectional by defeating Franklin County in the semi-finals and then Batesville in the final round. The morning match we were in control throughout the entire match winning 25-13, 25-4, 25-12. At the service line, Josie was 25-25 with 3 aces, followed by Christina Fogg who was 13-13 and Jenna Foster, 12-12. Ella Chapman dominated the net with 15 kills, followed by Josie with 7, Leah West with 6, and Carlee Adams with 5. Defensively, Christina had 16 digs, Josie with 14, and Jenna with 10.
The Batesville match was intense and competitive from beginning to end. Batesville came out ready to play aggressively, efficiently, and with a great amount of confidence. They took the first set from us 22-25. They were very effective in their blocking and we were reacting to their offense and not in system much. The second game we played with more confidence, put a little more pressure on them with our serves and made some adjustments. We took the next three sets, 25-19, 25-20, 25-20. Jenna Foster was 24-24 with 1 ace from the service line, followed by Josie Nobbe, 17-18 with 1 ace; Mya Comer, 17-17, and Janae Comer 15-15 with 3 aces. Ella Chapman was really effective throughout the entire match with 23 kills, and Josie Nobbe was effective sets 2, 3, and 4 putting down 21 kills. Carlee Adams had 5 kills and Leah West put down 4. Both of those girls, along with Claire Nobbe, were critical in blocking for us and they did a great job of holding blockers to open up the net for us. Defensively, we were slow at the start, but picked up our pace as the match progressed. Josie, Janae, Christina, Jenna, Mya and Abigail worked hard to keep balls in play and defend their attacks in the form of hard hits, tips, and deep corners. This win gave us our 3rd straight sectional title and makes us 33-0 on the season. In the final match of the sectional, Ella Chapman reached 1,000 kills in her high school career. She joins Josie in that impressive group of talented volleyball players. These girls are talented for sure, but they also play with a purpose, play with passion, and play for each other. They have a lot to be proud of.
JuneAnn Rigney