Hume, NEVC notch victories as Bronaugh and Sheldon fall

It was a busy past several days on the court for Golden Valley Vernon County Conference members Hume Lady Hornets, Northeast Vernon County Lady Knights, Sheldon Lady Panthers, and the Bronaugh Lady Wildcats.

Hume opened play at the Sept. 13 Ballard High School triangular with a convincing two-set (25-16, 25-10) victory over host Ballard. In the quick straight-set sweep, Hume’s Hannah Gorda led the way with five kills and a block — while Lakynn Moore dropped in six aces and a kill; Katlyn Brooks, five aces and a block; Braelynn Morrison, three kills and an ace; and Deborah Yarick, three aces.

“Ballard started the first set off strong, and we made a few errors, but the girls re-grouped and came together to finish strong, said first-year Hume head coach Becky Bryant,” adding, “Deborah had a run of five serves, three of which were aces.”

Continued Bryant: “The next rotation Katlyn had a run of seven (consecutive) serves, with four of those being aces. And Layknn finished the set serving a run of four. The girls were talking, moving their feet and playing with confidence.”

Hume (4-3) concluded triangular-play against Appleton City, falling in two sets — 25-19, 25-21.

Gorda finished with team-highs in kills (3), blocks (2) and aces (2), while three other Lady Hornets chipped in an ace apiece, as Morrison had a run of six consecutive service-points midway through the first set. The mini-blitz dug Hume out of an early hole, trimming Appleton City’s opening set advantage to 14-13.

“Even though this was a loss, the girls kept their intensity up and played as a team,” noted Bryant. “We (committed) more errors than in the first game, but they were still talking and hustling on the court. We sent more ‘free-balls’ over the net this match, and had fewer successful attacks.”

Said Bryant: “(We) had several good rallies and stayed right with Appleton City throughout the game. The girls did well at digging up the attacks from Appleton City’s hitters.”

Hume triangular

Hume then returned to the court Monday, as the Lady Hornets hosted a tri-match featuring GVVC foes NEVC and Bronaugh. NEVC (2-3-1), the reigning GVVC champs toppled both Hume and Bronaugh in three sets, respectively.

“We had multiple blocks by Kelly Dade and amazing serving by Breanna Hansell,” said first-year NEVC head coach Heather Brown, adding that seniors Makinsey Conner and Kiersten Diamond also had standout performances, while sophomore Kylie Alexander’s blocking skills were on full display. For Bronaugh, their pair of losses in Hume moved them to 0-11 on the season.

Sheldon, meanwhile, was in Joplin over the weekend for the Thomas Jefferson Independent Day High School Invitational.

Sheldon (1-8-1) opened play with a two-set split against host Thomas Jefferson. Sheldon head coach Emily Godsey said pool-play only went two sets in length, while bracket-play reverted back to the normal best of three set-matches.

In their second match of the afternoon, the Lady Panthers were edged by Exeter in two sets — 23-25, 22-25.

Sheldon then wrapped tournament-play against Pleasant Hope, falling in two sets 11-25, 9-25.

Against Thomas Jefferson, Sheldon’s Carrie Spencer, Madyson Bogart, and Mahalia Swink combined for a dozen service-points, while Swink also chipped in with a block.

“We played a great match against Thomas Jefferson,” said Godsey. “I am starting to see the girls use the skills we have been working on in practices more consistently, which is making me very happy. Overall, we wanted it, so we were able to take it in the second set.”

Against Exeter, Sheldon junior Nici Hites tallied a team-high eight service-points. In addition, Swink chipped in with seven service-points, while Bogart added a trio of blocks. “This (was) by far the best match we have played this season,” said Godsey, adding, “we clicked.”

Said Godsey of the match with Pleasant Hope: “We really wanted to come back and show (them) what we are made of after our lackluster match against them (Sept. 10). We started off fairly well, and just lost momentum. We are going to address several skill (areas), and work to make them habits on the floor.”