Playing four volleyball matches in a day can challenge a team in many ways.
For the Bushnell-Prairie City High School varsity squad, Saturday’s tournament at Beardstown provided the Spartans an opportunity.
B-PC pushed host Beardstown and Riverton to three sets, but lost both contests. The Spartans also lost to Rushville-Industry and Havana to finish the day 0-4 at the 11th annual Lady Tiger Volleyball Tournament.
B-PC slipped to 0-20 on the season. The current losing streak for the Spartans is now 56 consecutive matches.
The last win for the program came two years ago at this tournament when B-PC beat North Greene in two sets for seventh place.
The Spartans started Saturday losing to Rushville-Industry (14-10) 25-13, 25-15.
Stats for the Spartans included the following: Justice Klinedinst – 2 kills and 7 digs Amelia Carley – 2 digs Brynlee Beekman – 6 digs and 5 set assists Kendyl McCleery – 4 digs Jules Kreps – 2 digs Mylee Chenoweth – 13 digs Next up, the Spartans battled host Beardstown. B-PC won a set for just the second time this season, but fell short against the Tigers (8-17), dropping a 25-8, 23-25, 15-12 decision.
Stats for the Spartans included the following: McCleery – 4 kills and 11 digs Hazel Farwell – 4 kills and 2 digs Kreps – 4 kills, 2 service aces and 4 digs Klinedinst – 2 kills and 9 digs Chenoweth – 2 kills, 2 service aces and 23 digs Carley – 2 service aces and 2 digs Beekman – 3 service aces, 11 digs and 16 set assists “We tend to play to teams’ levels,” said B-PC coach Chloe Hickle. “We can play down to their level or play with their energy.”
“I felt like we played well in our third set against Beardstown, because they were energized,” she added. “We fed off of that.”
B-PC wrapped up pool play losing to Havana (6-20) 25-19, 25-21.
Stats for the Spartans included the following: McCleery – 4 kills, 7 digs Chenoweth – 2 service aces and 23 digs Carley – 4 digs Beekman – 6 digs, 8 set assists Farwell – 2 digs Kreps – 3 digs Klinedinst – 15 digs Finishing pool play 0-3, B-PC faced Riverton for seventh place in its final match of the day.
The Spartans pushed the Hawks to three sets, but B-PC fell short, eventually losing 25-15, 22-25, 15-12.
Stats for the Spartans included the following: McCleery – 4 kills, 6 digs Kreps – 3 kills Klinedinst – 6 kills, 9 digs Carley – 3 digs Beekman–14 digs, 15 set assists Farwell – 3 digs Kreps – 7 digs Chenoweth – 17 digs “(Against Riverton) I felt like they weren’t in it,” said Hickle. “They were tired after a long day, but you’re here and you have to play. Everyone’s had four games.”
“I think they all wanted that, but some of them I don’t think played their best,” she added of the Riverton match.
“It’s that same mental blockage every single game,” said Hickle. “This was the third time out of our whole season where we’ve went to three sets. With those, we just can’t execute.”
“And these (sets), going to just 15 is hard for us,” she continued. “We tend to start off late, rather than start off early.”
Hickle also noted that the team did not keep its aggressiveness it had shown earlier in the day.
“I think a lot of them were scared to be aggressive,” she said. “When we played Havana and Beardstown, we were hitting hard. But then here (against Riverton) we were hitting out.”
“Then, when it was a close game in the third set, we were just going to lob it over to them,” Hickle added. “Defensively, I felt like they were a good team. They could dig the ball and they were good on serve-receive.”
“You just can’t do that,” she stated. “I just wish we would’ve played like we did earlier and redo the game, because I felt like it would’ve had a different outcome.”
For her efforts, Chenoweth was named to the 10 player all-tournament team.
Prior to Saturday’s play, B-PC played at Lewistown (1512) on Oct. 8, losing 25-15, 25-19.
Stats for the Spartans included the following: Beekman – 2 kills, 4 service aces, 7 digs and 7 set assists McCleery – 6 kills and 2 service aces B-PC wraps up Prairieland South Division play this week, playing at Havana on Tuesday before facing South Fulton at Astoria on Thursday.
