Holton Volleyball at the Sabetha Invitational
In their final volleyball tournament of the regular season, the Holton Lady Wildcats won the Sabetha Invitational by beating Sabetha in straight sets, 25-20 and 25-22.
“Our intensity and fight were what we needed to win the tournament, and it sets us up in a good position for sub-state this coming weekend,” said HHS head coach Janelle Noel.
Besides Holton and Sabetha, the tournament included Pleasant Ridge, ACCHS, Marysville, Concordia, Wamego, Nemaha Central, St. Marys and Hiawatha. Holton is now ranked ninth in Class 4A, and Sabetha is ranked seventh in Class 3A.
In pool play, Holton went 3-1. The Wildcats defeated Wamego, 24-26, 25-22 and 25-17, and followed up with a win against Marysville, 18-25, 25-12 and 25-18.
Holton then defeated Hiawatha in straight sets, 25-20 and 25-18, and fell to Sabetha, 15-25, 25-15 and 25-18.
“We got off to a rocky start,” Coach Noel said. “Our first two games went to three sets, but fortunately, we came out with the wins in the end. In the last pool play game, we lost to Sabetha in a tough three set loss, but I felt like it really charged the girls up and our final tournament matches were awesome.”
In the championship bracket, Holton beat Nemaha Central, 25-21 and 25-22, and faced Sabetha again for the championship where the Wildcats beat the Lady Kaws.
“We came out strong and ready to win,” Noel said.
Last Tuesday, against Riverside in a league triangular, Noel had her 300th career win as a head coach.
“It was exciting,” she said. “But I’ve really been lucky to have some great girls over the years that love volleyball as much as I do.”
Sabetha Invitational Scoring
Pool Play
Pleasant Ridge def. ACCHS: 25-17 and 25-8.
Sabetha def. Marysville: 25-15 and 25-13.
Concordia def. St. Marys: 25-11 and 25-16.
Holton def. Wamego: 24-26, 25-22 and 25-17.
Nemaha Central def. Pleasant Ridge: 25-23 and 25-6.
Sabetha def. Hiawatha: 25-17 and 25-23.
Concordia def. ACCHS: 25-10 and 25-9.
Holton def. Marysville: 18-25, 25-12 and 25-17.
Nemaha Central def. St. Marys: 25-20 and 25-18.
Wamego def. Hiawatha: 23-25, 25-16 and 25-18.
St. Marys def. Pleasant Ridge: 25-23, 17-25 and 25-22.
Nemaha Central def. Concordia: 16-25, 25-12 and 25-15.
Holton def. Hiawatha: 25-20 and 25-18.
Sabetha def. Wamego: 27-25 and 25-21.
Nemaha Central def. ACCHS: 25-7 and 25-16.
Marysville def. Hiawatha: 25-18 and 25-16.
Concordia def. Pleasant Ridge: 25-15 and 25-18.
Sabetha def. Holton: 15-25, 25-15 and 25-18.
St. Marys def. ACCHS: 25-11 and 25-17.
Wamego def. Marysville: 27-25, 23-25 and 25-23.
Championship Bracket
Holton def. Nemaha Central: 25-21 and 25-22.
Sabetha def. Concordia: 25-18 and 25-23.
Holton def. Sabetha for first place: 25-20 and 25-22.
Nemaha Central def. Concordia for third place: 25-19 and 25-23.
