Lady Tigers Break Through With First Wins of Volleyball Season

EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, Mo. – The Lady Tiger volleyball team cracked the win column last weekend after starting the season with seven losses.

The first two wins of the season came in the Chillicothe Tournament (9/13) against the Brookfield Bulldogs and the Carrollton Trojans, with 2-0 set wins in both matches. The first win over Brookfield came with scores of 25-9 and 25-10. Senior Jordin Price led the offensive attack with five kills, with juniors Camden McDaniels and Baylie Crowley each adding two. Senior setter Lillah Shue helped the offense with five assists. Senior Maya Watkins led the defensive side of the net with six digs, with junior Maddie Breshears adding five.

The second win of the season ended with 25-20 and 25-22 set wins over the Trojans. Price led the way again with six kills, with McDaniels adding four and Crowley finishing with three. Shue picked up seven assists, along with junior Raelyn Kirtley, adding seven assists in the matchup. Watkins had six more digs to go along with Breshears’ five digs.

The tournament opened with a 2-0 loss to Bishop LeBlond before the win over Brookfield. A 1-1 tie with St. Joseph Christian put the Lady Tigers in the semifinals, where they lost to the host Chillicothe Hornets two games to one, sending them into the third-place match, where they beat the Trojans.

The week started with three losses on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The Central Indians hosted the Lady Tigers on Sept. 9, taking the match three sets to two. The Indians won the first set 25-22 before the Lady Tigers took sets two and three by scores of 26-24 and 25-22. The Indians bounced back to win the fourth set 25-22 and then took the final set of the night 15-11 to claim the victory.

A trip to Harrisonville on Wednesday night (9/10) was a 3-0 win for the Wildcats. The home team defeated the Lady Tigers by scores of 25-18, 25-15, and 25-15.

The Kearney Bulldogs came to Excelsior Springs for the Suburban Blue Conference opener on Sept. 11 and came away with a three-set victory. The Bulldogs won 25-18, 25-10, and 25-21 to start the conference 1-0.

The Lady Tigers wrapped up the week with a season record of 2-9-1 and have an action-packed schedule ahead. They will play at Maryville on Sept. 16, followed by back-to-back home matches against Lexington on Sept. 18 and Lawson on Sept. 22.