The Batesville Middle School volleyball team had their hands full with a first round matchup against rival Milan. The 7th grade match found the Bulldogs coming out on top, 2 sets to 1; 21-25, 25-23, 15-11. Nya Moon and Vera Flannery each had 8 service points. Zoey Mathews added 6 points. Reese Richey had 5 points with 1 ace. Adalyn Placke and Ella Peetz each had 2 service points. In the front row Vera Flannery had 5 kills. Reese Richey, Adalyn Placke, and Ella Peetz each had 2 kills. Caroline Wiedeman earned a kill. Harper Wagner, Brielle Maple, and Allana Herbert all contributed with strong passing in the back row. The 7th grade advances to the next round, playing Jac-Cen-Del tonight.
The 8th grade team put up a valiant effort against a very talented Milan squad, falling just short, 24-25, 18-25. The Bulldogs were unable to close the first set after serving for the win in that set. After a slow start in the second set, Batesville battled back to keep it close but an 8-point service run by the Indians proved to be the difference in the match. The Bulldogs last effort was up-ended by a missed serve and Milan pulled away for the match win.
Here’s a message from Coach Prickel: “I’d like to acknowledge all members of my team rather than share statistics this time. Carly Blanton, Breauna Broshears, Gabby Brown, Izzy Dierckman, Miki Gutzwiller, Sarah Hunter, Hailey Hundley, Kenzi Lacey, Kiersten Luers, Maliyah Morton, Lydia Niese, Maci Smith, and Amelia Vierling all represented BMS so well this season. The improvement and progress they have shown since the beginning of the season has been remarkable. Special thanks goes to Ellie Snapp and Harper Beshears for all of their help and effort as our team managers. I wish all of you nothing but the best and am proud to have had the opportunity to be your coach. Keep your heads held high, ladies, and know that I’ll always be rooting for your success.”
(Submitted by school’s athletic department.)