Posts Tagged ‘Prep volleyball’
Chargers take title of Lady Suns Classic behind MVP effort of Bryan
AUGUSTA, Ill. — The championship bracket of the Lady Suns Classic showed competitive balance, which is why it took a tiebreaker to determine the champion. The Illini West, Unity and Southeastern volleyball teams each completed the final day of play with a 1-1 record, but the Chargers won their first four matches of the tournament…
Read MorePhoto gallery: Action gets underway as Hannibal teams prepare for fall seasons
HANNIBAL, Mo. — A new year has begun. Award-winning freelance photographer Mathew Kirby spent Monday criss-crossing the Hannibal High School campus and venturing out to the Veterans Elementary sports complex as Hannibal teams opened fall practice. He even made it to Norwoods Golf Course for the girls golf team’s practice. Kirby put together this photo…
Read MoreAll Four one, one Four all: Rebranded volleyball club puts roots down right here at home
QUINCY — The challenges of playing, practicing, studying and sleeping on the road in order to play club volleyball are things Gabbie Wiley Weiman and Josie Stanford endured in their pursuit of high level competition and college scholarships. They don’t want the next generation to find it so arduous. “We had to go to St.…
Read More‘We couldn’t execute’: Struggle to sustain momentum in third set spoils Raiders’ rally in super-sectional loss
PRINCETON, Ill. — The vibes created by a crisp, energetic and efficient practice Thursday afternoon failed to linger as long as anyone associated with the Quincy Notre Dame volleyball program wanted or expected. “I guess we let it all out yesterday and couldn’t save it for today,” senior middle hitter Abbey Schreacke said. At least…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QND vs. Genoa-Kingston in Class 2A Princeton Super-Sectional
PRINCETON, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team rallied after losing the first set of Friday night’s Class 2A Princeton Super-Sectional to Genoa-Kingston, but the Raiders couldn’t sustain the momentum in the third set of a 25-19, 22-25, 25-17 loss. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman captured the action from start to finish. Check…
Read MoreSuns unable to stem changing tide late in second set, fall to Comets in Class 1A super-sectional
LANARK, Ill. — After falling into a deep hole to start Friday night’s Class 1A Eastland Super-Sectional, the Southeastern volleyball team looked like it had recovered and regained control of the match. But the Suns couldn’t fend off a Sterling Newman Central Catholic rally in the second set, and the Class 1A runners-up from a…
Read MoreHave a little Faith: Kientzle’s run of service points, huge plays at net catapult Raiders to victory over Bombers in electric sectional title match
FARMINGTON, Ill. — Five points. No more. Certainly no less. Forced to a decisive third set in Wednesday night’s Class 2A Farmington Sectional championship after Macomb staved off four match points, Quincy Notre Dame volleyball coach Courtney Kvitle convinced the Raiders to concentrate on winning five points at a time. “We knew we had to…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QND beats Macomb in three sets to win Class 2A sectional championship
FARMINGTON, Ill. — Certain moments cannot be forgotten. Try October 5 for example. With the Quincy Notre Dame cheering section split between two major events — the boys soccer team played at Quincy High School, while the volleyball team played host to Macomb — the Bombers brought a sizable, boisterous crowd to The Pit. A…
Read MoreSuns continue to rise to occasion, fight back in third set to win sectional championship
BRIMFIELD, Ill. — The Southeastern volleyball team’s cardiac kids made a comeback. More than one comeback, to be precise. Down 10 points in the decisive third set Wednesday night, the Suns staged an epic rally to defeat Hartsburg-Emden 25-11, 21-25, 28-26 in the Class 1A Brimfield Sectional final. To Southeastern coach Tim Kerr, his team’s…
Read MoreCrusaders get bounce back, knock Mustangs out in Class 1A sectional championship match
WHITE HALL, Ill. — The Unity volleyball team just couldn’t put it together on Wednesday night. Unforced error after unforced error piled up for the Mustangs in their Class 1A sectional championship match against Springfield Lutheran. The Mustangs made 10 unforced errors in the first set and followed that with four service errors in the…
Read MoreRaiders let strong serving runs carry them into sectional title game rematch with Bombers
FARMINGTON, Ill. — The trick was to treat the Orion volleyball team to a false sense of hope. Giving up seven of the first 11 points in Monday’s first semifinal match of the Class 2A Farmington Sectional seemed to do that. It didn’t take long, though, for Quincy Notre Dame to dash that hope. A…
Read MoreDefensive-minded Bombers earn spot in highly anticipated sectional championship
FARMINGTON, Ill. — Taking the court under the watchful eyes of a rival and future foe could have been slightly unnerving. Facing an opponent looking for retribution could have, too. The Macomb volleyball team ignored it all and delivered a prime in-the-moment effort Monday night, dispatching Sherrard 25-15, 25-14 in the semifinals of the Class…
Read MorePhoto gallery: Class 2A volleyball sectional featuring Quincy Notre Dame and Macomb
FARMINGTON, Ill. — The sectional championship showdown prep volleyball fans have anticipated for the past month is about to happen. Quincy Notre Dame and Macomb sidestepped their sectional semifinal opponents Monday night and will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday for the title of the Class 2A Farmington Sectional. Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman took…
Read MoreMustangs’ stellar play at net carries them into sectional championship match
WHITE HALL, Ill. — The senior members of the Unity volleyball team have been to the sectional three times during their prep careers. The first two times, the Mustangs were shown the door in the semifinals. Ashlynn Arnsman, one of four Unity seniors, is intent on making this final ride a long one. “It was…
Read MoreLoud and clear: Raiders feed off crowd’s energy to dispatch Chargers and win regional championship
QUINCY — The bouncy, boisterous, energetic way the Illini West volleyball team plays can be distracting or intimidating. Quincy Notre Dame combatted that with plenty of noise of its own. Buoyed by a sizable, vocal crowd, the Raiders maintained an even-keel approach throughout Thursday night’s Class 2A QND Regional championship match at The Pit to…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QND volleyball team beats Illini West in Class 2A regional championship
QUINCY — For the seventh time in the last eight seasons, the Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team can call itself a regional champion. This time, the Raiders gave their seniors a lasting memory in their final game at The Pit. QND beat Illini West 25-13, 25-17 to advance to the Farmington Sectional, where the Raiders…
Read MoreBlue Devils fight to bitter end, fall to Ironmen in Class 4A regional volleyball championship
QUINCY — Quincy High School senior libero Carley Owsley wasn’t about to go down without a fight. “I was prepared for them to be all over the place and to make me move,” Owsley said Thursday night. “I wanted every ball.” And Owsley was able to dig a lot of them as the sixth-seeded Blue…
Read MoreMustangs finish with flourish to sweep Hornets and advance to Class 1A sectional
MENDON, Ill. — Maybe, just maybe, the Unity volleyball team needed a wake-up call. The Mustangs, who won the first set against Brown County with relative ease Thursday night, eventually needed a fast-and-furious finish in round two to deliver a knockout punch. “I think we got a little ahead of ourselves after that first game,”…
Read MoreSuns serve up another regional championship, overwhelm Red Storm to reach sectionals
BIGGSVILLE, Ill. — Tim Kerr willingly accepted the blame. Ahead of Thursday night’s Class 1A Biggsville West Central Regional championship match, the Southeastern volleyball coach searched through some stats and realized senior Abbey McMillen had missed only eight serves all season and was serving at a 98-percent clip. He never should have looked it up…
Read MoreBombers hope to continue trend taking them toward sectional volleyball championship
MONMOUTH, Ill. — Each season, the Macomb volleyball team has inched closer to being a sectional champion. Monday, the Bombers hope the trend continues. Macomb will carry its 32-3 record to the Class 2A Farmington Sectional, where it will face Sherrard in the semifinals following Thursday’s 25-12, 25-19 victory over Monmouth-Roseville in the Class 2A…
Read MorePhoto gallery: Unity, Brown County advance to regional volleyball championship
MENDON, Ill. — The Unity volleyball team launched its pursuit of a Class 1A state tournament berth with a flurry. Brown County did the same. Now the two must go head-to-head to see who survives. The Mustangs and Hornets won Class 1A Unity Regional semifinals Wednesday night in straight sets, propelling them to the regional…
Read MoreEaton guides power-hitting QND to quick victory over Pittsfield in regional semifinals
QUINCY — Annie Eaton’s smile is infectious, but don’t let that nice-girl persona fool you. She’s the quiet assassin of the Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team. And she relishes that role. “I like to control things out there,” Eaton said. “I like to run the offense.” The Raiders’ floor general was at her directorial best…
Read MoreYouthful, exuberant Chargers prepare to face Raiders for regional championship
QUINCY — If pressed, Dakota Lafferty will admit, at times, it is difficult not to look toward next season. Considering her Illini West volleyball team will play Quincy Notre Dame for a Class 2A QND Regional title Thursday, what’s the deal, Dakota? “We don’t have any seniors,” she said. “We start two freshmen, three sophomores…
Read MoreThe Rundown: Macomb, Southeastern, Hannibal win important volleyball matches
Prep volleyball is in the final week of the regular season, while college and prep soccer teams are heading toward the postseason. Here’s the rundown of Tuesday’s action: • The Macomb volleyball team showcased the ability to rally in an 18-25, 25-18, 25-21 victory at Unity. Kennedy Adair and Kathryn Lukkarinen had 10 kills apiece…
Read MoreQND volleyball seniors make sure to put outcome of match first on night they are feted
QUINCY — Everything about Senior Night is designed to bring out emotion. The swelling pride of parents. The camaraderie of classmates. The realization the end is near. It tends to make the game — no matter the sport — a secondary component to everything else. Wednesday night at The Pit, the six seniors on the…
Read MoreThe Rundown: Cann scores hat trick, Harshberger comes up clutch, Pirates outlast Blue Devils
A busy Monday kickstarted a week that features postseason play. Here’s a look at what transpired around the area: • Leo Cann recorded his first hat trick of the season as the Quincy Notre Dame boys soccer used a strong second half to dispatch pesky Macomb 4-1 on the road. Tanner Anderson scored QND’s first…
Read MoreBlockbusters: Improved play at net makes Raiders tougher defensively in sweep of Chargers
QUINCY — Ali Entrup’s reaction spoke volumes. Her play at the net resonated even louder. During a tug-o-war portion of the first set Thursday night against Illini West at The Pit, the Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team’s senior right side hitter stuffed a Chargers attack, giving the Raiders the point, the serve and the momentum.…
Read MorePhoto gallery: QND and Illini West square off in volleyball at The Pit
QUINCY — Here is a look at the Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team’s 25-15, 25-18 victory over Illini West on Thursday night at The Pit through the camera lens of Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman:
Read MoreThe Rundown: Hannibal soccer coach hits career milestone, QND settles for draw, Ritterbusch with four hits for Highland
Plenty of action across the board Thursday. Here is a look at some of the things that happened: • Hannibal boys soccer coach Eric Hill reached a milestone with the Pirates’ 3-0 North Central Missouri Conference victory at Fulton. It was his 300th career victory. Drew Porter, Colton Dryden and DaeShon Glasgow each scored for…
Read MoreQND volleyball team uses quality finishing touches to sweep Hannibal
HANNIBAL, Mo. — Playing a best-of-three or best-of-five series doesn’t seem to matter to the Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team. The Raiders are dominant either way. QND rolled into Korf Gym on Tuesday night and swept Hannibal 25-17, 25-19, 25-12. Illinois teams play best-of-three series, while Missouri schools play best-of-five. Since the Raiders (18-1) traveled…
Read MoreQND volleyball team rebounds after semifinal setback, sweeps Limestone in third-place match
LINCOLN, Ill. — The mark of a championship-caliber team is the ability to take a punch and come back swinging. The Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team won’t ever stay down for the count. The Raiders saw a 14-match win streak get snapped in the semifinals of the Lincoln Tournament on Saturday at Roy S. Anderson…
Read MoreDominant run on Hoing’s serve sends QND volleyball team to 10th straight victory
QUINCY — As each Emma Hoing topspin serve befuddled the Rushville-Industry volleyball players, the Quincy Notre Dame advantage grew more insurmountable. “It’s kind of fun,” said Hoing, the junior outside hitter who enjoyed a nine-point run on her serve during the second set of Wednesday night’s match at The Pit. “I just want to keep…
Read MoreServing up victories: QND volleyball team’s attacking style nets pair of dominant efforts
QUINCY — The styles vary from Emma Hoing’s thunderous jump serve to Faith Kientzle’s precision from the back line, but they all have the same intent. Be disruptive. The Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team showcased how vital the serve is to the attack during Saturday’s triangular at The Pit, dominating a pair of matches from…
Read MoreCarothers, Mustangs sweep way to championship of Lady Suns Classic
AUGUSTA, Ill. — Kyra Carothers and the Unity volleyball team made a statement Saturday. The Mustangs elevated themselves to the team to beat in Class 1A in West-Central Illinois. Behind an MVP performance from Carothers, the senior outside hitter, Unity swept a pair of matches in the championship pool and won the title of the…
Read MoreRaiders win Early Bird Tournament title, while Blue Devils find footing after two tough losses
QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team refused to be denied, while the Quincy High School squad got over the hump. That made the day-long QHS Early Bird Invitational Tournament a success on all fronts. The Raiders swept five consecutive matches and overcame a five-point deficit in the second set of the title match…
Read MoreAbundance of options thanks to experience and depth should make QND volleyball team dynamic
QUINCY — Depth is a luxury the Quincy Notre Dame girls volleyball players appreciate. It also creates a challenge they embrace. “If you’re working hard, it makes another person work hard,” senior outside hitter Avery Keck said. “You’re pushing each other all the way. You’re competing for a spot, but you’re also supporting your team…
Read MoreQHS’s decision to not play volleyball at Hannibal made ‘trying to be cautious’
QUINCY — The decision to cancel the Quincy High School volleyball team’s match against Hannibal, which was scheduled to be played Thursday night at the Pirates’ Korf Gym, was made with the best of intentions. “We’re trying to be cautious and make sure we get through the year,” QHS athletic director Matt McClelland said. The…
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