Sidney downs East Mills in five set thriller to win Corner crown
Sidney pulled away in the final set for good in a 21-25, 25-15, 25-16, 23-25, 15-6 win over East Mills in a thrilling, back-and-forth championship match at the Corner Conference Volleyball Tournament Thursday night in Tabor.
For the Class 1A No. 6 ranked Wolverines (30-4 overall, 6-1 in the conference), who lost in last year’s finals to Fremont-Mills, the result was the same as its previous three match ups with the Cowgirls (18-6 overall, 5-0 in the conference) this season. Sidney is responsible for three of the Wolverines’ four losses on the season.
“Our girls played hard and I am so proud of their effort and teamwork,” said East Mills coach Connie Viner. “Another 2-hour match with lots of long rallies and this was our first 5 set match. We could have easily given up in the fourth set, but ‘No’ was our answer to that. Sidney just kept the ball off the floor better than us tonight. We will learn from this loss and now turn our focus on regionals.”
Myler Maher knocked down a game-high 20 kills in the win for Sidney. Keyana Haggerty chipped in 16 kills.
Loycee Palmer led East Mills with 15 kills and Ava Grindle added nine kills.
The Wolverines opens Class 1A regional play tonight against the winner Lenox and Mormon Trail. Results from that match will appear in the next edition of The Opinion-Tribune.
Fremont-Mills 25-25-25,
Stanton 15-15-18
Fremont-Mills got by Stanton in 25-15, 25-15, 25-18 sweep to secure third place at the Corner Conference Volleyball Tournament Thursday night in Tabor.
The Knights (20-18 overall, 5-2 in the conference) smacked home 38 kills and hit .178 as a team in the victory, their second over the Viqueens (12-21 overall, 3-4 in the conference).
Abby Malcom led the way with 10 kills. Hayleigh Mattox and Lana Alley added nine kills each. Alley also led the way with 22 set assists.
Stanton coach said the Knights’ hitters kept constant pressure on his team all game long.
“The Knights came out strong, using a balanced attack and solid defense to take control early,” said Stanton coach John Mainquist. “Despite moments of momentum from Stanton - highlighted by strong serving runs and scrappy defensive plays - the Viqueens couldn’t sustain their rhythm against the Knights’ consistent pressure.”
Addy Gettler had eight kills to lead Stanton. Cooper Stephens added six.
East Mills 23-25-27-25,
Fremont-Mills 25-23-25-20
Loycee Palmer smacked a career-high 26 kills to lead East Mills to 23-25, 25-23, 27-25, 25-20 win over Fremont-Mills in the semifinals of the Corner Conference tournament last Tuesday in Sidney.
The win is the Class 1A, No. 6 ranked Wolverines third straight this season over the Knights.
“What a match!” said East Mills coach Connie Viner. “It's tough beating a good team three times. We dropped the first set and battled every play for the next three sets. The third set we were down 16-22, but these girls kept chipping away and took the set 27-25. Tonight, we had the right mindset to win and earned another opportunity to play in the Corner Conference Tournament Championship. Very proud of this team!”
Palmer’s hitting led East Mills on a night then hit .137 as a team with 57 kills.
Ellie Hagen added 10 kills and Ava Grindle nine.
The Knights got off to a hot start against the Wolverines but couldn’t get over the hump down the stretch.
“We played right with the state ranked team the whole night and had one of the best overall games we’ve had this season, I was super proud (of how we played),” said Fremont-Mills coach Taylor Sudmann. “We tied them in all stats but beat them out in digs. Every set we had an incredible stat, first set we had 18 kills, second set our serve receive was 2.9 and last set we served 100 percent.”
The Knights recorded 57 kills of their own in the match with Hayleigh Mattox notching 20 kills and adding five blocks.
Lindze Smith chipped in 13 kills, Abby Malcom 10 and Kinley Blackburn eight. Lana Alley paced the offense with 50 assists and Reese Gute dug up 37 balls on defense.
Sidney 25-25-25
Stanton 10-17-5
Sidney earned a spot in the Corner Conference Volleyball Tournament championship with a 25-10, 25-17, 25-5 win over East Mills in the semifinals last Tuesday in Sidney.
The conference regular season champion Cowgirls proved too much for the Viqueens.
“Despite the loss, the Viqueens showed determination throughout the match, keeping several rallies alive with strong defensive play and teamwork at the net,” said Stanton coach John Mainquist. “The Viqueens will regroup and look ahead to their next matchup, aiming to bounce back and finish the season strong.”
Addy Gettler and Cooper Stephens had three kills each to lead Stanton.
Haylee Joint led with five set assists and Britney Silva led the defense with nine digs.
Fifth Place
Griswold 25-25-25,
Bedford 20-15-21
Griswold secured fifth place at the Corner Conference Volleyball Tournament with a 25-20, 25-15, 25-21 sweep of Bedford last Tuesday.
Airika Palmer had 10 kills and Amanda Houser eight to lead the Tigers in the win.
Kate Tischer notched 25 digs and added four aces
Carsyn Adams recorded 19 set assists.
Fremont-Mills 25-25-25,
Griswold 8-12-12
Fremont-Mills picked up a 25-8, 25-12, 25-12 first round sweep of Griswold in the Corner Conference Volleyball Tournament last Monday in Malvern.
The Knights hit an efficient .264 with 33 kills on the night.
“Our hitting was actually some of the best it’s been all season,” said Fremont-Mills coach Taylor Sudmann. “Everyone was positive in hitting.”
Abby Malcom, Lindze Smith and Hayleigh Mattox led the way with eight kills each.
Lana Alley paced the offense with 29 assists while Carlie Nuckolls added nine digs and Reese Gute 14.
East Mills 25-25-25,
Essex 1-4-9
East Mills opened its match with 23 straight points on its way to a 25-1, 25-4, 25-9 sweep of Essex in the opening round of the Corner Conference Volleyball Tournament last Mondya in Malvern.
Loycee Palmer knocked down nine kills and added 11 digs for the Wolverines. Caitlyn Crouse and Shaylee Stiverson added four kills each.
Venna Sayers led the way with 17 set assists
Ellie Hagen, who held serve for 23 straight points in the first set, finished with 12 aces and three kills.
Alia Valdez had eight digs for Essex.