March 18, 2024

Statement win; puzzling loss

Interstate 35 volleyball showcased how far it has come while Clarke volleyball was left searching for answers

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TRURO — The Interstate 35 Roadrunner volleyball team probably didn’t head into Monday’s home match expecting to control visiting Clarke, a more experienced squad, but there they stood, winners after just three sets.

Interstate 35 shot out to a 16-9 lead and eventual 25-16 win.

Set two was a match of volley after volley after volley after volley and so forth. The Roadrunners managed to pull out a 32-30 win in what was the longest set of the season for either team thus far.

“We had girls playing outside of their box a little bit and scrambling a little bit better and they weren’t fast scrambles, but we were keeping the ball alive, so that was nice to see,” Interstate 35 coach Tim McKinney said.

Roadrunners speed up

Set three saw the Indians figure out their attack with an 8-1 lead, only to lose their head of steam and come crashing back down as the Roadrunners grabbed a comfortable lead later in the set.

The Indians, down six points late, rallied back with a Deseree Stubbe service run, but fell short 25-23 to end the night.

“Very frustrating. We definitely didn’t play to our potential. We didn’t show the crowd tonight what the program can do, what it has done,” Clarke coach Molly Jackson said. “That was frustrating. With the potential of the girls that we have, we shouldn’t walk out of the gym with a loss.”

Ashlynn Oehlert’s 17 digs and Chynna Beydler’s 12 digs led the Indians Monday in their first action since Sept. 9.

Cady Crawford had six kills and Hayley Gilbert tallied seven. Beydler had four.

“Cady stepped it up for us tonight. She was hitting floors constantly. She was hitting spots,” Jackson said. “Chynna did awesome serving. She was hitting all of those spots.”

Kristi Kadel assisted 15 times and Sidney Marker added seven.

After several weeks of play, the Roadrunners are keeping points alive, working more cohesively, and playing with confidence around the net, with Bailey McCuddin (8), Maddie Olson (7) and Ainsley Maske (3) combining for 18 kills in the win Monday night.

Infrastructure improvements

McKinney noted that he believed this past weekend’s Mount Ayr tournament was a turning point. The Roadrunners won a match against Martensdale-St. Marys Saturday, against who they had lost in three sets just four days prior. The Roadrunners won 21-15, 12-21, 17-15.

Interstate 35 now had four wins this season.

“We’re playing outside of our box a little bit. We’re not depending on everyone else,” McKinney said. “Individually they are expanding their range and they know that they can go reach. They can scramble an they can move their feet. I think that’s what I’m most pleased with right now.”

Maske and Adrianna Camp showcased how I-35 has become better at setting up blocks with two apiece in the Martensdale-St. Marys win Saturday.

Serving helped the Roadrunners to win that match against the Blue Devils as well, as they were successful on 49 of 54 serves. Olivia Carlson (8) and Summer Pasutti (11) were perfect on their respective serve attempts.

Both teams have big stretches against conference opponents coming up. The Indians will play at Saydel on Monday, will host Centerville on Tuesday and Knoxville the Tuesday following that.

Interstate 35 travels to Pleasantville on Tuesday, and host Central Decatur the following Tuesday.