Iola and Humboldt’s seventh-grade volleyball teams put on quite a show Saturday.
The two schools were dead even in more ways than one as they competed in the IMS Invitational.
The Mustangs pulled out a 25-23 win over Humboldt in the first set of their match. Humboldt responded in kind, eking out a 25-23 nailbiter in the second set.
And because the tournament was structured in that every match consisted of two sets only, it meant they were unavailable to square off in a tiebreaker.
It turns out the Mustangs and Cubs also wound up tied atop the standings, each winning six of their eight sets on the day.
Humboldt thumped Chanute, 25-9 and 25-7, and split a pair against Independence, winning 25-17 and falling, 25-22, before ending the day with a 25-16 and 25-4 win over Marmaton Valley. The Marmaton Valley performance was particularly impressive, head coach Darcie Croisant noted, because each team starts with four points at the onset of each set.
Iola, meanwhile, split its two matches with Chanute, while sweeping Marmaton Valley and Indy.
That meant the tiebreaker boiled down to point differential, with Humboldt getting the upper hand, and thus the tournament championship. Iola wound up in second.
“The girls did really well, and it is a hard way to end a tie,” Iola head coach Emily Sigg said.
Iola narrowly missed out on winning the tournament outright, winning the first set against Chanute.
“Chanute came out strong in the second set, and unfortunately we just had a little too much of a hole to dig out of. Still, it was a strong performance from the girls, and we couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Quinn Miller was Humboldt’s key protagonist, leading the Lady Cubs with 26 aces and nine kills. Kenady Lucke and Zoey Sanchez had six aces each. Lucy Galloway added four kills.
“I’m super excited to continue to watch this seventh-grade group strive and do amazing things on the court,” Croisant said.
Individual statistics were unavailable for the Mustangs.
BOTH TEAMS kept up their winning ways on Monday.
Iola’s Mustangs won in straight sets at Santa Fe Trail, improving to 5-1 in Pioneer League play. The B team came up just short in five sets.
