The Bearcat volleyball team went 2-1 last week, sweeping Sacred Heart and coming up short to Little River.

Little River

After a successful Sept. 12 victory, the Bearcats were hoping to carry the momentum into their home game versus Little River Sept. 14. However, they were unable to finish the night with a win.

Because the Redskins play best-of-five matches, the night consisted of only one varsity game. In order to take the victory, the team had to win three sets, but Little River won all of the first three sets to end the game.

In the first set, the Cats came out strong and put up a fight for the Redskins. However, Little River was able to take a commanding lead and win the set 25-18.

Determined to stay in the game, the Bearcats stuck with Little River until the very end, where it came down to the first mistake. The Redskins came out on top in the second set, winning 28-26.

The Bearcats knew that in order to take home the overall victory, they would have a long battle to reach the win. They kept the fight and stayed in the game, however, they came up short; Little River won the third set 25-20.

While the night did not go as the team had hoped and worked for, there were improvements made for the whole team.

Competing with the No. 1-ranked team in 1A showed the Cats they can compete with some of the best teams in the state.

Senior Kylan Turnipseed, team captain and the main setter for the Bearcats, had a positive outlook on the game.

“Although we didn’t end with a win, I think it was some of the best volleyball we’ve played all year,” Turnipseed said. “We fought really well with them and it was a really fun game to play in.”

The volleyball team will compete in the Lyons Invitational Sept. 23.

Sacred Heart

Ellsworth swept Sacred Heart 2-1 on the Knights’ home court Sept. 12.

From the start of the night, the Cats took charge. From aggressive serving to unstoppable defense, Ellsworth dominated in the first set of the first match. They won the first set 25-12.

The Knights came out strong in the second set. Both teams put up a good fight until the very end, however, Sacred Heart took the win in the second set.

Determined to finish with a victory, the Bearcats took control in the tie-breaking third set and crushed the Knights 25-15.

A standout on the offensive side, sophomore Alexis Moore led the team with 27 kills and five aces for the night. Moore sees her personal success and the team victory as one and the same.

“Repetition has helped me the most with hitting … and continuing to go hard in games and in practice even when I’m tired,” Moore said. “We all played for each other instead of ourselves and kept our energy up the whole (game).”

Other notable stats for the night included senior Kylan Turnipseed with 53 assists and sophomore Elyse Haxton with 21 digs.

“We all played for each other instead of ourselves and kept our energy up the whole (game).”

Alexis Moore Sophomore