Volleyball

All-County volleyball roster comprised of versatile playmakers

Jackson County volleyball teams may not have been playing on the final weekend of competition this fall, but that didn’t detract from three pretty good seasons all-around. Holton, Jackson Heights and Royal Valley all finished in the top half of their league standings this season. In fact, the...

Wildcat Holly Karn (shown above, middle) gets up and slams an errant pass back over the net during a semifinal match against Jeff West during the sub-state tournament on Saturday. Karn and the rest of the seniors made some major contributions for HHS, but the team couldn't quite get past Hayden in the finals.

Holton volleyball falls just short of sub-state championship

Holton’s volleyball team certainly had a daunting task if it wanted to make it to the Class 4A-DII state tournament, as it hosted top-ranked Topeka Hayden in sub-state competition on Saturday. Holton had no cakewalk getting to that match-up either, as the team started tournament play against a...

Area volleyball teams ready to dive into postseason play this weekend

This weekend, all three Jackson County volleyball teams will make their postseason push as sub-state competition starts on Saturday. For Holton (23-12), a spot at the Class 4A-Division II state tournament is just two wins away and the team will have the added bonus of home field advantage,...

Panthers Kate Hanson (shown above, at left) and Sarah Beam (back right) look on as teammate Macy Putnam returns a serve in league competition against Holton on Tuesday night. Royal Valley fought to the end in each set, but Holton was able to pick up the sweep on its home court.

County rivals Holton and Royal Valley clash in tight contests on the volleyball court

Both Holton coach Janelle Noel and Royal Valley coach Denise Visocsky were quick to point out before the season how much of a dogfight Big Seven competition could be. Never did their words ring truer than when the rival Wildcats and Panthers met on the court for a pair of matches in Holton on...

Cobra Hannah Williams (shown above, at right) blocks a ball back onto Oskaloosa's side of the net during a match on Tuesday. Williams was a force in the middle and helped JHHS sweep both McLouth and Oskaloosa in the home matches.

Jackson Heights volleyball breaks out of funk with pair of wins at home

Since a big breakthrough at the Lyndon tournament more than two weeks ago, the Jackson Heights volleyball team has been stuck in a rut. To be fair, the Cobras have also faced three of the top four teams in the Northeast Kansas League in their matches following that tournament, but the coaches and...

Holton's Courtney Boswell (shown above, back left) and Shari Riley (back right) look on as teammate Ashlyn Weilert (front) dives forward to return a serve in a match against Sabetha. That trio has anchored the back row for the Wildcats' strong defense, which helped the team to a sweep of Jeff West in its most recent matches.

Wildcat volleyball gets two key league wins over visiting Jeff West

In the span of a week now, the Holton volleyball team has faced off against the top three teams in the Big Seven League standings (prior to Tuesday night). With the Wildcats dropping three of four matches to Sabetha and Nemaha Central last week, that forced the team to discuss some hard truths...

Royal Valley's Mary Broxterman (shown above, front right) and Kate Hanson (back right) go up for a block in the second match against Nemaha Central on Tuesday. The Thunder were equally strong at the net and gave RVHS fits before escaping with a sweep on the road.

Panther volleyball comes close, but can't escape Thunder in key league matches

With the Panthers hosting their first home matches of the volleyball season on Tuesday, there was already a great deal of excitement leading up to the night’s action. The fact that RVHS was doing so against perennial Big Seven League contender Nemaha Central only added to the hype. Both Royal...

Cobras Taylor Abel (shown above, back middle) and Hannah Williams (back right) watch as teammate Bree Williams (front right) sends an attack over the net in a recent match against Onaga. That trio stepped up big, helping JHHS defeat Onaga to split its home opener.

JHHS volleyball battles back to split home opener

Competing on its home court for the first time this season, JHHS volleyball coach Kaylee Mick said her team might have been a little anxious leading up to its non-league matches against Bishop Seabury and Onaga on Thursday night. That may have caused some issues in the first match, a loss to...

Holton's Megan Rhule (shown above, at left) and Shari Riley (middle) look on as teammate Hayley Thompson (diving, at right) lays out to save a ball during a recent practice. All three played key roles in the team's two wins to open the season on Tuesday.

Lady Wildcats come away unscathed from tough road matches to start the season

There is always some nervousness going into the first volleyball game of the season, Holton High School volleyball coach Janelle Noel admitted, and you can never know for certain how a team will perform. While the Wildcats had some rough patches here and there on the road in Leonardville on...

Panther Ali Bryan (shown above, at left) sets up teammate Macy Putnam (front right) for an attack during a recent practice. Both helped the team claim a third-place trophy at the 4A-DII state tournament last season and are part of the reason RVHS has its sights set on picking up some more hardware this fall.

Royal Valley volleyball aims to keep momentum rolling in 2015

Given the historic season the Royal Valley volleyball team put together last fall; setting a school record for wins (26), claiming the program’s first sub-state championship and making its first-ever state tournament appearance, the Panthers weren’t lacking for success. What the team was lacking...