The volleyball season opened Tuesday night in Vandalia, with a young squad getting its first taste of competition.
This year’s team features just one senior and six returning players. The remainder of the 12-player roster is made up primarily of freshmen, along with one sophomore.
The JV team fell to Vandalia in two sets, 11-25 and 19-25. After working through some first-game jitters in the opening set, the team settled in and showed improvement in the second.
Freshman Parker Meskil recorded two aces, while freshman Karleigh Steif had an ace and a block. Freshman setter Kenzie Walker finished with one assist and 14 good sets. Addy Buatte had a kill, and Allyse Blankenship contributed an ace and a kill.
The varsity team also fell in two sets, but made a strong push after dropping the opener 13-25. The second set went down to the wire before Vandalia prevailed 30-28.
Buatte led the way with seven kills, six blocks, eight digs and seven serve receives. Blankenship recorded two aces, five kills, 11 digs and seven serve receives.
Whitley Quick had six assists, one block, three digs and six serve receives. Addie Lawrence finished with eight serve receives and three digs, while Lillabelle Kelley had three assists, three serve receives and six digs.
Sophia Smith contributed two kills, an ace, two blocks, seven serve receives and one dig.
Despite the losses, the young varsity squad showed plenty of potential in its season opener. As the match progressed, the players began connecting more consistently and working well together on the court, providing an encouraging start for the season ahead.
