Volleyball dominates at home, beats rivals

Micheal Simmons, Blue M Editor-In-Chief

 

Manhattan High volleyball bounced back from a seven match losing streak by winning seven of their eight most recent matches, setting the stage for their postseason performance.

“I think it was a really good confidence booster for our team,” senior Kia Wilson said. “I think it was great for us to see that we are able to win some of those close games we end up in.”

MHS faced some its closest and longest sets of the season and ended up prevailing. They beat Hayden (25-20, 26-24) and had the sweep stolen by Lawrence (25-18, 18-25, 18-25). Despite losing to them, the team still beat their league rivals, Washburn Rural (27-25, 12-25, 25-20).

“It’s always fun to play Washburn,” senior Haleigh Harper said. “Especially on senior night, unfortunately we came up short, but the environment was unreal. It was an unforgettable feeling of passion.”

MHS started the original starting lineup for their senior night, including Wilson and senior Brooklyn Cink who faced injuries earlier in the season. Cink and Wilson both had a large effect on the outcome of the tournament, combining for a total of 61 kills, 25 digs and 12 blocks. The senior players held the spotlight as it was their final season.

“Throughout high school I have grown to love the game of volleyball,” Harper said. “I’ve made friendships and memories that I will cherish for a lifetime. Seeing it come to an end is hard but I cannot wait to move on to the next chapter of my life.”

The team, with less than two weeks remaining in their season, will be heading into the postseason after playing Wamego and Junction City today.

“We all know what needs to be done in order to fulfill our goals, our emphasis is to go out and get it done,” Harper said. “Ultimately it’s going to come down to who wants it more, and I can tell you there’s not another group who wants it more than we do.”

The volleyball team placed fourth at the state tournament for the past two years in a row. Some players are looking to surpass this placement with their finals days as a volleyball player quickly approaching.