Relentless.
For the West Prairie High School volleyball team, it is more than just a word. It is a mindset and an approach.
The visiting Cyclones made the trip to The Hangar Wednesday evening and left town with a resounding 25-16, 25-17 Prairieland Conference South Division victory over host Macomb.
West Prairie improved to 24-9 overall, 4-0 indivision play, while MHS slipped to 16-12 overall, 3-2 in Prairieland South play.
It was also West Prairie’s first win over Macomb since 2018.
“We have goals that we check and we’re really working toward those goals,” said West Prairie junior setter Josie Hodges. “We’re going to be relentless wherever we go. That means we’re going to try our best to win and do the little things to get there.”
“That was definitely one of our better games,” said West Prairie coach Drew Snyder. “It was a total team effort. We played really well and I was really pleased with our effort.”
“It’s always fun to come here because their students are always fired up and they’re rowdy,” he added. “They were kind of quiet there at the end meaning we were doing our job.”
“We just had a hard time getting it going,” said Macomb coach Marcy Lantz.
After a Reva Koeppen kill gave Macomb the first point of the match, the Cyclones scored the next three points and never trailed again in the opening set.
The Bombers were within 11-10 early in the second rotation when a Niah Zimmerman kill was the start of the Cyclones slowly pulling away on the way to the set one win.
“I think we really managed our set at the net,” said Hodges, who finished with 16 set assists. “We worked on the little things from passing to setting to hitting.”
“We were really analytical about where we put the ball,” she added.
“Macomb’s always been a big rival of ours,” said West Prairie junior Payton McGrew. “But I think one of our problems is we get in our heads and we’re like ‘We have to win this and if we don’t it’s against us.’” “But there’s nothing to lose for us coming in here,” she added. “When we play our game we can beat anyone. We come in here and we just play our game and all work together as a team. It really shows what we can do, even if it is Macomb.”
Set two proved to be a much tighter affair.
Tied at 15-15 a kill from Alyvia Barkley, followed by an AshlynnKelley ace gave West Prairie the lead for good.
The Cyclones closed out the 40-minute match b y scoring 10 of the final 12 points.
“We just really kept our energy up and I think that’s the difference between us from the beginning of the year and right now,” said Hodges.
“We frustrated their hitters and got some blocks and caused some alterations to their offense,” said Snyder.
“We did a really good job of controlling that first ball pass more consistently,” he added.
“We’re trying to mix up our offense a little bit more,” said Lantz. “We’ve relied a lot on our outsides, but we need to get other people involved in our offense.”
“I feel like we did a better job of spreading it out,” she added. “We just unfortunately made errors in the process.”
Niah Zimmerman had 7 kills, while Barkley and McGrew added 3 each. Madison Adams chipped in 2 kills.
“You never know where I’m going to go and that’s what I’m trying to do,” said Hodges. “We don’t have the big hitter, but we have different places for different people to attack.”
McClure and Hodges recorded 8 digs each for West Prairie. Barkley added 7, followed by Niah Zimmerman with 6 and Lilly Sheffler with 3.
McGrew had 3 blocks, while Kelley added 1.5 blocks.
“They play great defense. And that’s something that West Prairie has always been known for,” said Lantz. “They can play defense and you know that they’re going to put a ball back up in play and they hustle.”
Sheffler recorded 11 service points, followed by Kelley with 5 service points, including 2 aces.
Hodges and Barkley chipped in 4 service points each.
“I think the girls have done a really nice job of embracing their role and what’s being asked of them,” said Snyder. “Not a one of them is selfish. They understand that to be effective as a team, we’ve got to have everybody involved.”
“Everyone contributes,” said McGrew. “That’s what makes a team. You can’t have one person do everything for you. One on six does not work.”
“We have the chemistry and everything fits for us,” she added.
“We have really good solid hitters and good serve, pass and defense,” said Snyder. “I thought they shined. They rose to the occasion, that’s for sure.”
“This was definitely a big one, but we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves,” said McGrew. “We still have a long trip ahead of us. We just have to get our jobs done and play like we know how to.”
“We’re young and inexperienced in a lot of things,” said Lantz of the squad that started two freshmen and two sophomores. “We’re going to have bumps and hiccups along the way. They just need to learn that it’s OK to lose. You learn how to grow.”
“I feel like the girls are taking a loss really to heart because they want to do more and want to be more,” she added. “We have youth on our side which is also our achilles heel.”
“They’re a very good team and they’re going to be a force to be reckoned with in the future,” said Snyder of Macomb.
Just like the Cyclones, the Bombers still have objectives of their own to reach for down the stretch.
“A great goal for us is to finish the season with at least 20 wins,” said Lantz. “With everything that’s happened this season, I think we’ve done a heck of a job.”
“We still have a lot of volleyball in us and a lot of volleyball to play,” she added. “We’ll see what the future holds.”
On Monday, the Bombers hosted Camp Point Central, recording a 25-20, 25-22 victory.
It was Senior Night for the Bombers who honored their lone senior Megan Redding prior to the varsity match.
Stats for the Bombers included the following: Dehlia Graham – 2 kills and 4 total blocks Reva Koeppen – 9 kills Jersee Mills – 11 kills and 10 digs Ashtyn Shoopman – 3 kills Clairissa Thompson – 3 total blocks and 2 digs Kate Rector – 4 digs Myleigh Lovell – 14 digs Harper Katz – 4 digs Anistyn Lovell – 6 digs and 21 set assists Meanwhile, on Tuesday, West Prairie picked up its 23rd win of the season, rallying for a 13-25, 25-20, 25-21 victory at Lewistown.
Stats for the Cyclones included the following: Josie Hodges – 24 set assists and 2 service aces Alyvia Barkley – 7 kills Niah Zimmerman – 6 kills Madison Adams – 5 kills Payton McGrew – 4 kills Ashlynn Kelley – 4 kills and 10 service points Madison McClure – 9 digs Both teams were scheduled to jump back into action Thursday with Macomb playing at Elmwood (17-9), while West Prairie hosted Illini West (22-9, 4-0 Prairieland South) in a match to decide the division title.
Macomb will play at Liberty on Monday and Mendon Unity on Tuesday, while West Prairie wraps up its regular season Monday hosting Rushville-Industry.
Senior volleyball player Megan Redding Photo by Andrea Ratermann
