Mission places third at District
The Mission volleyball team picked up three victories in the Western 7B volleyball tournament over the weekend and placed third to advance to the Western Regional Volleyball Tournament next weekend.
“I thought the girls played very well this weekend,” Mission Head Coach Marissa Mock said. “We had some sicknesses hit the team and played girls in positions who haven’t been there most of the season. They adapted well to the change.”
The Lady Bulldogs opened the tournament on Friday, Oct. 27, with a sweep of Troy 25-20, 25-15, 25-20. Kensey Burke led the team with 13 digs, while Jada Domebo notched 10 assists. On offense, Rowan McElderry had six kills, while Cora Matt had five.
This advanced Mission to the bracket’s quarterfinals, where it fell to Eureka in three sets, 25-13, 25-22, 25-18. Izzy Evans led the Lady Bulldogs attack, while Alecia Steele and Domebo each had seven digs. Amelia Cronk dished out eight assists, and Evans had two blocks.
Undaunted however, Mission bounced back with a three-set victory over Superior in the consolation bracket, 25-23, 25-17, 25-18. Evans had five kills, while McElderry had four. Cronk also directed the offense with 13 assists. On defense, Evans had seven digs and Kensey Burke had six.
Mission had a stellar day at the service stripe, with Wenona Tenas and Cronk each notching five aces.
On Saturday, Oct. 28, Mission advanced through the consolation bracket by downing Plains in four sets, 25-19, 15-25, 25-14, 25-14. Steele led the team with 12 kills, while Cronk had 17 assists. The backline play featured masterful performances by Steele, who had 16 digs, and Evans with 15.
Tenas again posted five aces, while Matt had four.
This win moved Mission into the consolation semifinals, with a chance to play Eureka for the district title. The Lady Bulldogs, however, fell to Thompson Falls in four sets 25-15, 20-25, 25-18, 25-17.
Evans notched seven kills, while Tenas, McElderry, and Steele each had two blocks. Evans also had 16 digs, while Domebo had 11 assists.
“I think we are peaking at the right time,” Mock said. “The girls are wanting their season to extend beyond divisionals, and they have focused on not only playing for themselves but playing for each other. That is our goal going into the postseason: playing for each other.”
Mock said that the standout players in the tournament were Evans and Steele, who led the Lady Bulldogs in different statistical categories at different times.
St. Ignatius advances to the Western B Regionals, which started Wednesday and will go until Friday in Eureka.