"Senior Night" a winner for spikers
Wood River finishes 6-0 in league
By JEFF CORDES
Express Staff Writer
Consistent serving sparked the Wood River High School volleyball team to a quick three-game "Senior Night" victory over the Burley Bobcats Tuesday on the Hailey hardwoods.
Wood River got eight or more service winners from five different players in beating Burley 25-22, 25-21, 25-14. The win closed out an undefeated 6-0 Great Basin Conference West league season for Wood River.
"Our serving was good and everybody got to play and have fun," said Hailey coach Tim Richards. "Now we have to get back to business and see if we can win three more matches and get to the state tournament."
Top-seeded Wood River (16-13 overall, 6-0 league) will open its Great Basin Conference West tournament quest by hosting #4 Burley for a first-round match Monday, Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. on the Hailey hardwoods.
They?ll use two nets because #2-seeded Minico (7-8, 4-2 league) will host #3 Jerome at the same time Monday in Hailey. The winners will clash right away, about 7:45 p.m. Monday in the semi-final. Final matches take place Tuesday in Hailey.
Against a hustling Burley team that was primed for an upset Tuesday, junior Hannah Richards (15 kills, 10 serves with 2 aces) had another big match and senior Syringa Stark (7 kills, 4 blocks, 9 serves with 2 aces) was another important Hailey factor.
With the first game tied 22-22, Jamie Stone (4 kills, 13 serves with 2 aces) hammered a clutch winner and Syringa made one of her four blocks for a point. Rachael Richards (12 serves, 22 assists) finished the victory with a kill. Hannah Richards had five kills in the game.
In the second, it was tied at 21-21 when Stark rose to the occasion with two kills, Ryann Menges (8 serves with 2 aces) pounded a winner and Hannah Richards served up an ace.
Successful serving dictated the third and final game?Stone putting away six straight winners for a quick 6-0 lead and Rachael Richards making it 12-4 with six more winners. Hannah Richards ended up with seven kills in the final game, and Stark added three.
Leah McIlhenny (8 assists, 4 kills) also pitched in for Hailey (10-3 home).