Lady Warriors bounce back
By Lenny Sementi
Tuscola’s volleyball team bounced back quickly from a tough stretch of high-level opponents to take down a good Arcola squad this past Tuesday the 4th in the court version of the Cola Wars.
Coach Lydia Miller’s team routed the Riders in the friendly confines of TCHS gymnasium in straight sets giving up just 24 points on the night en route to a 25-12, 25-11 victory. The girls moved to the break-even mark at 5-5 overall and 1-0 in the Central Illinois Conference.
Maddie Green and Natalie Bates were big away from the net combining to contribute 16 digs, 22 assists, three aces, and 16 service points. Karli Dean fueled the offense at the net with nine kills and also delivered on defense blocking two Rider balls for points. Katie Dean was next in line with five kills to her credit and a pair of blocks, while McKinlee Miller and Lexie Russo donated four and three kills, respectively, to the cause. The duo also each saved five balls during back row rotations.
Kyra Moyer came through on defense, as well, by finding her way to three digs in each set, including two big saves early in game one that helped the Warriors break open a back-and-forth first set with a seven-point run. Katie Dean was on fire late in the first skirmish recording five kills during the scoring burst that ran the score to 23-12 Warriors. Green then found McKinlee Miller for a game-ending kill.
Tuscola ran away with game two opening up with an 11-1 run and never looked back cruising to victory. Miller served for the first six points getting help from Karli Dean and Russo up front before Arcola scored. Then Kendyl Ring went on a five-point run at the service line, which included three aces that started a onslaught at the line that included aces by Russo and Ashton Smith. Sydney Watson posted both her kills late in game two, including the game and match winner.
Tuscola JV moved to 4-1 overall in the preliminary contest with a thrilling, three-game 25-11, 16-25, 15-6 victory.
The full story can be found in the Wednesday, Sept. 12 edition of The Tuscola Journal.