WESTON, Mo. — West Platte found a way to rebound from a previous disappointment for a second straight year. The Bluejays moved to 2-0 in KCI Conference play with two come-from-behind set victories in a sweep of East Buchanan on Thursday, Sept. 7 at West Platte High School.
NICK INGRAM/Citizen photo
West Platte sophomores Tori Norman (7) and Sam Rotterman (2) go up for a block against East Buchanan in a KCI Conference match Thursday, Sept. 7 at West Platte High School in Weston, Mo.
Previously, East Buchanan won a matchup between the two teams in the KCI Conference Tournament semifinals. Last season, the two teams tied in the tournament with West Platte again coming back to win the rematch.
“I feel like in the beginning of the season with our lack of experience we normally would have laid down in that situation and they showed a lot of heart tonight and battled back and I think that was huge for us,” West Platte coach Amber Guthrie said. “Luckily, we have some good leaders on our side that are able to help us with that.”
West Platte senior Ciara Davies supplied seven kills, while freshman Lexie Smither added five to lead the comebacks.
East Buchanan led 17-11 in the opening set, but the Bluejays responded with a 9-2 run to take the lead. After a tie at 21-21, they took the first set 25-23.
“I know that we get kind of anxious when it comes to big games like tonight, and if we can learn how to handle those in the beginning, I think we’re only going to go up from there,” Guthrie said. “So far we’ve had a good stretch in our season the last few games, and I think we’re feeling pretty confident.”
NICK INGRAM/Citizen photo
West Platte senior Ciara Davies (4) goes up for a block against East Buchanan.
East Buchanan led 5-2 in the second set, but after going up 15-14, West Platte didn’t trail again.
Emily Norman had four of West Platte’s eight service aces, while sophomore Faith Stevens continued her development at setter with 20 assists in a steady performance. Norman also led the defense with five digs.
Northland Christian 2, West Platte 0
The Bluejays lost in straight sets against last year’s Class 1 state champion in a match Monday, Sept. 11 at West Platte High School in Weston, Mo. Sam Rotterman, a sophomore, led West Platte’s attack with four kills, while Norman had six digs.
North Platte triangular
North Platte earned its first win of the season, sweeping South Holt in a rematch Monday, Sept. 11 at North Platte High School in Dearborn, Mo.
Coming off an 0-6 showing in the Lathrop Tournament over the weekend, North Platte’s winless streak hit 16 matches with a 25-21, 25-12 loss to Mound City. The Panthers played South Holt in the night’s finale, having lost to the Knights in two close sets to start the season.
Kelsey Reynolds had six kills, while McKenzie Brockhoff supplied six digs in a 25-17, 25-17 victory for North Platte, which improved to 1-15-1 on the season.
Brockhoff led North Platte with 31 kills in six matches in the Lathrop Tournament, while freshman setter Tatum Green had 47 assists. She only had five assists in the win over South Holt.
Lathrop 2, North Platte 0
The Mules pulled a 25-15, 25-15 sweep in a KCI match Thursday, Sept. 7 at North Platte High School in Dearborn, Mo.
North Platte was limited on offense with Green finishing with just five assists. She also added a team-high 11 digs.
West Platte 3, Kansas City Christian 0
In their first five-set match, the Bluejays were dominant in a 25-10, 25-14, 25-10 sweep Tuesday, Sept. 5 in Kansas City, Mo.
Five players recorded at least four kills for West Platte with Davies and Stevens leading the way at five and Rotterman, Tori Norman and Daire Stelljes adding four apiece. Stevens also finished with 20 assists from her setter spot.
Lone Jack 2, North Platte 1
For the second straight match, the Panthers forced a third set but couldn’t pull out the first win of the season.
Brockhoff (six kills) and Reynolds (five kills apiece) led a balanced offense Tuesday, Sept. 5 at North Platte High School in Dearborn, Mo. Green put up 17 assists in her second straight solid performance at setter.
Just like in a three-set loss to Christian, North Platte rallied back to beat Lone Jack in the second set but lost all momentum. The Mules ended up with a 25-14, 24-26, 25-6 victory.