The Parry McCluer High School volleyball team went 1-1 at home in its first week of Pioneer District action, falling to Eastern Montgomery before bouncing back to sweep Highland County.
On Thursday, the Fighting Blues (4-3) evened up their district record with a 25-17, 25-15, 25-16 victory over the Rams. Kadence Zollman recorded seven kills, eight digs and seven aces to lead the way for PM, while Jorja Catlett had
, contnued from page A8 five kills and 11 assists. Sophia Bouchelle paced the defense with 18 digs, and Allie Cullen notched five kills and 12 digs.
PM
Emma Brower tallied five kills for Highland (3-3 overall, 0-2 district), and Colleen Adams posted seven assists and four aces.
The Blues were forced into a lineup adjustment, as their regular starting libero, Presley Camden, was out due to illness. But Bouchelle stepped in without missing a beat, and PM got contributions from its entire squad throughout the match.
“Honestly, I have great faith in my girls, because Sophia really stepped up,” said PM head coach Jilane Hall, whose varsity roster features 14 players. “Having a large team means there’s a large bench, and so I want to play people as much as I can. I think today was a great testament to us playing well, so that I could play everybody.”
With the opening set tied at 7-7, the Blues reeled off a 7-0 run that featured a Zollman kill and an ace from Catlett. Highland wouldn’t come any closer than five the rest of the way.
Some monster serving from Zollman in the second set – the senior middle had six aces in the frame alone – allowed PM to take control. Four straight aces keyed a 7-0 stretch that put the Blues ahead 11-5, and Zollman would serve up two more as part of a closing 5-0 spurt.
PM utilized its depth even more effectively in the third set. Backup setter Marina Ramsburg had five assists and two aces in the stanza, and reserve middle Maddie Wade notched three kills. Catlett and Cullen chipped in two kills apiece as the Blues completed the sweep.
Having command of the game allowed Hall to experiment with a 6-2 system, featuring six attackers and two setters, getting both Catlett and Ramsburg involved in the offense.
“Both of our setters have great hands, and I think that they both deserve some playing time,” Hall said. “I think a 6-2 is a great way to get more of my team on the court that are deserving.”
Emory Slagle added four kills and two aces for PM, and Ramsburg totaled seven assists. Catlett and Jaelyn Manning also served up two aces apiece as the Blues finished with 16 total aces. Brooklyn Bussard had three kills and four assists for the Rams.
EM 3, PM 0
Eastern Montgomery scored a 3-0 win over PM in the Pioneer opener for both teams in Buena Vista on Monday of last week.
Macie Akers posted seven kills and 16 assists to lead the Mustangs (6-2, 2-0) to a 25-19, 25-21, 25-16 victory. Brookelyn Kingery added six kills and 10 assists, while Karsen Underwood finished with six kills and three service aces.
Slagle posted a match-high eight kills for the Blues. Catlett totaled 15 assists, and Camden notched 14 digs and four aces.
Hall thought her team played well enough to avoid the sweep against the Mustangs, who went on to record a 3-1 district victory at Craig County three nights later.
“We lost in three, and it doesn’t feel that way,” Hall said. “I feel like we were playing really well. We were getting a lot of really good rallies; we were covering; we were being scrappy.”
EM used a 5-0 run midway through the opening set to extend a narrow 12-10 margin into a 17-10 lead. The Blues closed the gap to 18-17 with a 7-1 spurt that featured three Slagle kills – the junior middle finished off six points in the frame – and two Camden aces, but the Mustangs closed things out with a 7-2 stretch.
PM held a slim 15-14 advantage in the second stanza, but a 4-0 mini-run put EM in front for good. Akers was at the center of the Mustangs’ offensive effort in the set, tallying four kills and six assists.
An ace and two kills from Olivia Boone keyed an 8-0 run in the third frame that put EM ahead 21-11, and the Mustangs held off the Blues down the stretch to secure the sweep.
Josie Martinez recorded four kills and three aces for PM, and Zollman also had four kills. Boone finished with five kills and five aces for EM.
Despite the loss in straight sets, the Blues don’t seem to be too far away from hanging in with the top teams in the Pioneer.
“We just need to work on finishing points – pulling ahead, and working on that mental toughness at the end of the [sets],” Hall said.
PM was slated to play host to Amherst County on Monday and to visit district rival Craig County last night. The Blues will take on Narrows at home on Thursday, beginning with junior varsity action at 5:30 p.m., before traveling to James River High School in Buchanan for a tournament on Saturday, starting at 10 a.m. Next Monday, the Blues will play host to Nelson County, starting with JV action at 5:30 p.m.
PM FRESHMAN setter Jorja Catlett (center) gets under the ball while teammates Emory Slagle (left) and Kadence Zollman (2) watch. (Ronnie Coffey photo)
FIGHTING BLUE senior Allie Cullen gets in position to collect a dig against Eastern Montgomery while libero Presley Camden (left) waits. (Ronnie Coffey photo)
