The Iola Fillies and Humboldt Cubs had very similar beginnings to their volleyball seasons with Humboldt finishing fourth in the Prairie View Invitational on Saturday and Iola taking fifth in the same tournament.
“I’m excited,” Humboldt coach Terry Meadows said. “We played super hard against some tough teams and we never gave up. My girls showed a lot of pride and grit and played really well.”
Iola went 2-2 on the day with a 1-2 record in pool play and beat Central Heights in the fifth-place match. The Cubs went 2-1 in pool play to qualify for the championship bracket of the tournament, but fell to Wellsville in the semifinals and lost the third-place game to Rossville.
Rossville and Wellsville were also Iola’s two losses with Wellsville coming in straight sets and Rossville needing three to put them away. Humboldt had the same results with three sets with Rossville and two against Wellsville.
Both teams beat their only other common opponent – Central Heights – in three sets.
So who is the best team in Allen County?
That answer may have to wait until the next time the teams have a chance to meet. That date is Sept. 24 when both squads will be in Burlington for the Burlington Tournament.
What is definite coming out of Saturday’s action is that both teams have plenty of reasons to hope for big improvements from last season.
For Iola, they picked up two wins one day into the season when they managed four all season last year.
“I’m really happy,” Iola junior Colbi Riley said. “We worked really hard and we didn’t playing the entire time even though we were all really tired and I think we did really well.”
Riley Murray was outstanding at the net for the Fillies and turned in a great game against Central Heights with the way she was able to block the Viking kill attempts.
“She was doing really well,” Riley said. “That is probably the best she has ever done with blocks and when we needed her she really helped the team out.”
Iola coach Jeff Fehr says that Murray’s play will be a key to Iola’s entire season and Saturday was a great step for her.
“We single block in the middle so it is a joust at the net and she came up big against their middle,” Fehr said. “She covered up some of the weaknesses we had covering the blocks. She played all-around, but I think that is the best blocking game I’m seen from her in four years.”
Piper Moore, Sydney Wade and Riley were tops on the team for kills on the day. Moore also led the team with assists.
For the Cubs, it all starts with Annalise Whitcomb. The senior was impressive as she spread the ball amongst the Cub hitters and tallied 87 assists in the tournament.
“Annalise is our on-court leader and it shows with her play,” Meadows said. “She knows who is hot and who is not and she runs the court really well.”
The thing that really stood out about Whitcomb’s passing was her ability to not play favorites with who she was feeding. The future Fort Scott Community College setter kept opposing teams guessing as three different Cubs led the team in kills with Tilar Wells and Lizzie Myers each doing it in two games and Kaylie Johnson taking the honors in the other match-up.
WHO’S BETTER? Fillies, Cubs start season in the same tournament
