Batesville hosted Franklin County Tuesday and all three program levels were in action. The Bulldogs took the varsity match 3-1 by finals of 25-14, 25-16, 23-25 and 25-23.
“Well to say it was warm in the Batesville gym is an understatement,” said Franklin County coach Jill Mergenthal. “We have a new appreciation for now having AC in our FCHS gym. Our girls got behind during the first set and second sets, and we just weren’t able to climb back. But wow, did that change during set three! They kept Batesville within range and we won the third.”
“Then during set four, we were down 15-24,” recalled Mergenthal. “Just as we thought the game was lost, the whistle blew and it was Batesville with a net violation call. We got the serve back and Meredith Hoff was up to serve. With her serves and the team’s battling out every point, we fought the best fight I’ve seen these girls play this season. We may have lost the set 25-23, but this team did not give up! Another super proud coach night. We are getting there, one set at a time.”
Franklin County reported stats:
Meredith Hoff- 2 aces, 3 kills, 2 solo blocks, 3 blocks and 10 digs
Saige Mergenthal- 1 ace, 2 kills, 2 solo blocks, 4 blocks, 7 digs and 1 assist
Hadlee Hornsby- 1 ace, 12 digs and 1 assist
Kassidy Schell- 8 kills, 1 solo block, 2 blocks, 15 digs and 8 assists
Kiersten Schell- 8 kills, 2 blocks and 10 digs
Kacie Williams- 1 kill, 4 digs and 9 assists
Kensee Ferman- 2 blocks and 3 digs
Veronica Reeves- 1 solo block and 1 block
Kylie Lea- 8 digs
Batesville reported stats from assistant coach Vickie Heil:
Serving- Cayman Werner 16/17 with 2 aces and Kaylie Raver 11/12 with 1 ace
Kills- Maggie Wilson 16 and Werner 14
Assists- Ava Powner 25 and Werner 21
Batesville won the JV match 25-20, 25-18.
“Our JV experienced a tough loss at EIAC opponent Batesville,” said Franklin County assistant coach Tana Stang. “After being down nearly 8-0 in both sets, the JV Cats fought back to bring the ending scores closer. It was the little mistakes which cost us, but we will fix those mistakes in practice.”
Franklin County JV reported stats:
Daphne Stokes- 6 digs, 2 aces and 2 kills
Annie Hoff- 3 digs, 3 kills, 1 block and 1 assist
Cydney Morehead- 2 digs, 1 ace and 1 assist
Lauren Stacy- 4 digs and 1 kill
Tiffany Billman- 2 kills and 1 block
Kristen Ison- 4 assists
Stephanie Billman and Chloe Clark- 1 assist each
Piper Twiggs- 1 dig
Vivian Silas- 1 solo block
The freshman Wildcats were a two-set winner 25-14, 25-23.
“The Wildcats freshman volleyball team took on Batesville in their first match of the season,” stated FCHS assistant coach Megan Boone. “You could tell the ladies had been working hard and were ready to get their chance on the court. The Lady Cats started off strong bringing home the victory in two straight sets.”
“We had to do a lot of shuffling, especially with a few girls out unexpectedly,” said Boone. “Because of that, the freshmen were playing positions they had never played before, and they had two sophomores join their team to help out. The team was resilient, flexible, and they showed their talent and hard work can push them beyond their expectations!”
Franklin County freshman reported stats:
Tiffany Billman- 4 aces, 8 kills, and 2 digs
Annie Hoff- 3 aces, 5 kills, 7 digs, and 1 assist
Marisa Marshall- 2 kills, 6 digs, and 1 assist
Brooke Stang- 1 ace, 1 kill, and 2 digs
Cydney Morehead- 1 kill, 3 digs, and 8 assists
Hannah Davis- 2 aces and 3 assists
Daphne Stokes- 1 kill, and 1 assist
We coaches Mergenthal, Stang, Boone and Heil for the information.