High School Volleyball: SWEET THRILL OF VICTORY
By BRANDON HURLEY
Sports Editor
CHURDAN –
In what was perhaps Paton-Churdan’s most complete game of the year, the Rockets shook off a first set loss to best visiting Charter Oak-UTE 3-1 in Rolling Valley Conference volleyball action Tuesday, Sept. 20.
Sophomores Jenna Beyers and Megan Carey played pivotal roles in the victory, combining for 24 kills, 20 digs and five blocks, powering the Rockets to three straight set wins (25-18, 25-17 and 25-23) following the 25-23 opening-set defeat.
A late timeout with the fourth set knotted at 22 apiece helped push the Paton-Churdan squad over the top, as they ran off three straight points, all at the hands of Beyers’ precise serves to secure the match victory.
P-C head coach John Johnson noticed his girls straying away from what gave them the lead in the first place as he called the final timeout.
“I told them you have to play to win. We got ahead there and for the most part, played a pretty good set,” the coach said. “At the end there, I didn’t have anybody taking charge in the back row and in the front we were really tentative. And I reminded them that we got ahead by being aggressive.”
With a young team and just one senior that sees playing time, Johnson knows constant encouragement could be the recipe for success. Learning how to put a game away when they have the chance is something the Rockets have struggled with over the course of the year.
“That comes from a lack of experience,” the coach said. “A lot of teams that we are going against have a lot of seniors that know what to do (in that situation). We are still trying to work through some of that. I had to remind them to play strong.”
Beyers sent home 12 kills and blocked four shots to go with eight digs. She was a key part in the final set, blocking several Charter Oak-UTE shots and sending well placed balls over the net to help preserve the lead. Beyers’ two aces during the final serve proved to be the difference.
“(Jenna’s) come a long way. She’s done a really good job of moving the ball around in offense. She’s been our leader in digs all season long,” Johnson said. “She went back to serve there at the end and got two really strong, tough serves on them and they didn’t get the ball set up. That was really big for us.”
Despite the first set loss, the Rockets had control of the match throughout, holding leads for most of the final three sets, using crisp passing, a strong defense and a advantageous service game to preserve the victory.
After trailing early in the second set, the Rockets ripped off a 5-0 to take a lead they would never relinquish, leading to the first of three straight set wins. Each time the Bobcats battled back in sets three and four, Paton-Churdan had an answer.
“I’m big on team in volleyball and I really felt like that was a team effort,” Johnson said. “I don’t think we really had anybody that really stood out but we didn’t have anybody that I felt I needed to really get out of the game. We played mostly a really smooth, consistent match. Our ball control was much better than it has been lately and that’s how you win.”
Carey served up a team-high seven aces in addition to her 12 kills and 12 digs. Faith Davis added 11 digs while Grace Geisler contributed 10 digs. Mariah Tasler helped set up the 32 kills, as she contributed 28 assists.
Tuesday’s victory was Paton-Churdan’s first in conference play. The Rockets are now 1-3 in the Rolling Valley and travel to Eagle Grove Thursday for a matchup with the 0-6 Eagles out of the North Iowa Conference.
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