Junior Lainey Gregory tips the ball for a point during the North Star Showcase Saturday.
Senior Georgia Wortman attacks the net during second set action Saturday in Chinook.
Senior Jaylyn Cline records one of her 18 kills in the match against the Sugarbeeters.
The Big Sandy Pioneer Volleyball team has become more and more consistent in their play this fall and as a result the girls are finding the win column more and more and when they don't they are making opponents earn it.
The Pioneers began the week in Chinook to take on the Sugarbeeters.
The girls came out with a lot of confidence and were taking the attack to the home team from the get go. In a back and forth opening set both teams struggled to get the upper hand and both teams having a chance to get it. In the end it was the Sugarbeeters recording the final point to win the opening set 27-25.
Big Sandy didn't let a tough setback in the opener slow them down and again took the court with confidence. This time however the girls were able to break through and maintained a slim advantage to even the match 1-1 with a 25-20 win in set number two.
In the third set it was the Sugarbeeters who took control early and rode that momentum to a 25-16 third set win. The 'Beeters maintained the pace of play and stormed their way to a match clinching 25-9 fourth set win to earn a 3-1 victory over Big Sandy.
The Pioneers had a consistent attack led by senior Jaylyn Cline's 18 Kills. Junior Lainey Gregory dug up 15 balls in the contest to lead the Pioneer defense. Gregory also set up the hitters with 16 assists. Senior Georgia Wortman and Stacey Allderdice each recorded four blocks in the match.
Saturday the team headed to the North Star Showcase and performed very well finishing second in the tournament.
Big sandy cruised through Pool play defeating the North Star JV, Dutton/Brady and their teammates the Big Sandy JV to earn a spot on the championship match against the host North Star Knights.
The Knights won the final match of the day but overall it was a very productive weekend for the Big Sandy volleyball program.
The team will now look to prepare for the District 6C-East Tournament, now just over three weeks away.
The Pioneers will begin the second half of the regular season this Friday with their final home contest of the season when they welcome the North Star Knights to town. The match against the Knights is also parents night.
The Pioneers will then head out for a road match against the Box Elder Bears on Friday, October 12 in what could be a pivotal match when it comes to tournament seeding.
The team will the travel to Chester on Saturday, October 13 to face the Hawks. Big Sandy will conclude the regular season schedule with a trip to Hays to take on the Thunderbirds on Saturday, October 20.
The District 6C-East Tournament will be held in Rudyard October 25-26. The top three teams from will advance to the Northern C Divisional in Belt, November 1-2.
Currently Big Sandy sits in fourth place in the District with a 2-4 conference mark and a 3-6 overall record.
The Chinook Sugarbeeters sit atop the conference while the North Star Knights are in second. The Box Elder Bears are in third as of now while Hays/Lodge Pole and Chester/Joplin-Inverness come in at fifth and sixth.
District 6C-East
Volleyball
Chinook 3
Big Sandy 1
Chinook 27 20 25 25 BSHS 25 25 16 9
