By KYLER ROWDEN-STUM
Tiger Media Network
The Hays High School volleyball team opened its homecoming week with two wins Thursday night, showing dominance and resilience in front of the home crowd.
The Indians started strong with a 2-0 sweep over Chapman, controlling the match from start to finish.
Head coach Shannon Funk said she was pleased with how her team set the tone early.
“I think the girls are really playing well. I like their mindset through this game,” Funk said. “We figured out early that this was a game we should win, and I thought the girls took care of business and got it done.”
Hays used a balanced attack to close out Chapman, led by junior Zoe Winter, who averages 2.9 kills per set, and senior setter Brooke Bieker, who has 180 assists this season.
Defensively, junior Annie Humphrey anchored the back row, adding to her team-high 139 digs on the year.
Funk said her players weren’t distracted by the excitement of homecoming week and stayed focused in preparation.
“My girls come to practice ready to get better,” Funk said. “Homecoming was maybe in the back of their mind, but it didn’t show in practice. We talked early in the week that when they step foot on this court, they lock in. … The season is much longer than just this week.”
The nightcap against Phillipsburg proved to be far more of a challenge.
Hays edged out the Panthers in three sets, winning 25-22, 23-25, 25-23. The Indians had to overcome stretches of errors that let Phillipsburg stay alive, a problem Funk acknowledged after the Chapman match.
“That’s a common issue we’re working through,” Funk said. “I’ve got a lot of girls with incredible talent, and that connection with our setters and getting their timing down sometimes takes a minute. We’re getting better, though, and matches like this help.”
In the third set, Winter and Lynsi Kanak came through with key kills, while Kanak — the team’s leader in hitting percentage (.286) and total blocks (24) — made several crucial plays at the net.
Humphrey again held steady in the back row, and Sylvia Johnson, who leads the team with 28 aces, pressured Phillipsburg with tough serves down the stretch.
Before the Phillipsburg match, Funk said she expected her team to be tested.
“They’re a team to be respected,” she said. “We have to show up, play our style of ball and play clean. If we limit errors, I anticipated this could be a game we could win.”
Her prediction proved correct — though not without plenty of drama.
With the two wins, Hays improved to 12-5 overall and has won three in a row entering play Tuesday against a pair of Class 6A schools in Manhattan and Junction City.
This story was written as part of INF 322: Sports Writing, a course in the Department of Informatics at Fort Hays State University.