The Humboldt Cubs earned themselves a bit more distance in the race for the Tri-Valley League championship after sweeping Cherryvale and Baxter Springs in Tuesday’s triangular.
Humboldt opened Tuesday evening with a 25-19, 25-14 victory over Cherryvale. They then defeated non-conference opponent Baxter Springs, 25-17, 25-14, in the finale. The Lady Cubs’ record now stands at 8-3 and 1-1 in the TVL.
Senior outside hitter Ricklyn Hillon, who recently surpassed 500 career kills, remains the Lady Cubs’ top gun with 10 kills in the opener. Freshman outside hitter Jadey Ellis followed with four. After eclipsing the 200-ace milestone last week, senior libero Skylar Hottenstein added three more to her running total Tuesday. Freshman outside hitter Brynna Ellis had three aces as well.
Defensively, Hottenstein had a team-leading 11 digs, followed by junior outside hitter Lakyn Meadows with 8. Senior middle hitter Laney Hull, who had Humboldt’s only block in the opener, also had seven digs.
After making quick work of their league opponent, the Lady Cubs had a dominating team performance against Baxter Springs. The Lady Cubs spread the scoring around, as Hull took the top spot while Meadows, Ellis and Hillmon tied for second with five kills each. Hottenstein continued her hot hand behind the line with a team-leading four aces.
Hottenstein also shined on the opposite end of the court with 14 digs. Hull outpaced her teammates with four blocks, followed by junior middle blocker Ella Schomaker with two.
The Lady Cubs will see plenty of action when they return to the hardwood this weekend. They face multiple teams at Saturday’s Humboldt Invitational. First serve for pool play is scheduled for 8:30 a.m.
