The Lady Trojans were challenged in set three, but East Central volleyball completed a three-game sweep of Rushville on Tuesday.
“We opened our home season against Rushville, got off to a slow start, but picked it up and played strong in sets one and two,” said East Central coach Cassie Laker. “We didn’t play our best volleyball, but our girls played hard together and pushed to try new plays we’ve been working on in practice. Set three was the opposite. We started strong but ended very slow forcing extra points. We still managed to play together as a team and came out with a win, finishing the match with two aces from the service line.”
“Adversity continues to be thrown our way, but these girls continue to push themselves and work together to fight through it,” added Laker. “This group will battle through anything which makes them hard to beat! The varsity is now 4-2 overall and 2-0 in the EIAC.”
East Central stat leaders:
Attacks- Becca Tupper 19/20, Maycey Lewis 17/19, Avery Daniels 14/19, Kaylee Louden 13/16
Kills- Tupper 12, Daniels 7, Tupper 6
Serves- Chloe Bushman 15/17, Lewis 14/17, Tupper 12/15
Aces- Bushman 4, Tupper 4
Total Blocks- Olivia Turner 3, Tupper 3, Daniels 2
Digs- Tupper 10, Haylee Frazier 7
Assists/sets- Turner 31/80
Serve receive- Frazier 12/14, Tupper 11/11.
“What a difference a day makes,” said Rushville coach Nan Scanlan. “It seemed like we got stronger as the night went on. The third set of the varsity match was a thriller and exciting to watch. The team played hard and with some heart. Overall, I was very pleased with both of our teams and hopefully it tells them that they can play if they set their minds to it.”
Reported Rushville stats:
Olivia Yager – 6 points, 6 kills, 6 assists, 14 digs
Trisha Morgan – 4 points, 3 kills, 8 assists, 7 serve receptions, 5 digs
Molly Zachery – 19 serve receptions, 15 digs
Josie Ballenger – 4 points, 8 serve receptions, 7 digs
Rushville grabbed one set from East Central in the JV match, but the Trojans prevailed 18-25, 25-18 and 15-8.
“The JV game was another three-set thriller,” said Scanlan. “While the Lions lost in three games, they took a set from East Central which is something I am not sure has been done in the past.”
Reported Rushville JV stats:
Ivory Herbert – 9 points, 5 assists, 4 digs
Brittney Mahan – 4 kills, 3 assists, 5 digs
Lily Brown – 5 points, 8 serve receptions, 25 digs
Eliza Snow – 4 points, 4 serve receptions, 3 digs
Kiley Parsley – 9 digs
We thank coaches Laker and Scanlan for the information.