Lady Cats win defensive match over Bonner Springs

Louisburg’s Allie Kennedy (left) and Davis Guetterman (right) congratulate Adyson Ross after a big point in Thursday’s home match against Bonner Springs.

The Louisburg volleyball team hadn’t been tested much in the early part of its schedule.

That first test came Thursday when the Lady Cats hosted Bonner Springs for a Frontier League dual. The Braves and Lady Cats finished second and third, respectively, in the Frontier League standings a year ago.

Louisburg got the best of Bonner Springs this time around as the Lady Cats recorded the 3-1 win at Louisburg High School, but it wasn’t as easy as the score indicated.

“Last night was a really big win for us,” Louisburg coach Leanna Willer said. “We are very proud of the start we’ve had to our season and we knew we would be tested by Bonner Springs. They bring a lot of energy to the court and we had a lot of fun playing against them. 

“We lost to Bonner Springs last year and they finished second in the league, so it felt good to come back and win a tight match against such a strong league opponent.”

In the process, the Lady Cats recorded their sixth straight win and have started their season perfect.

Against Bonner Springs, the Lady Cats had to work for every point, as did the Braves.

Louisburg found itself down 8-3 to start the first set, but rallied back to eventually win 25-20 to go up 1-0.

The Lady Cats were well on their way to a win in the second set, but Bonner Springs roared back as the two teams traded blows before the Braves eventually pulled out an emotional 32-30 win in the second.

Instead of sulking, the Lady Cat responded in a big way as they won the next two sets, 25-18 and 25-19 to get the league win.

“Losing a set 32-30 is completely draining,” Willer said. “After fighting tooth and nail for so long, it can easily deflate a team’s energy, but I’m so proud of our girls for the way they responded. We knew we wanted to come right back out into that third set and take control and that’s exactly what we did. Our girls did a great job of not letting the high pressure moments get to them and we bounced right back.”

It was as strong showing defensively for both teams, but the Lady Cats were able to dig up a few more balls when they needed them

Louisburg had five players with double-figures digs and were led by senior libero Chase Kallevig, who finished with 31. Senior Davis Guetterman was next with 18, while Corinna McMullen, Aubryn Berck and Adyson Ross had 16, 15 and 13, respectively.

“Our team played really awesome defense last night and I am so proud of them,” Willer said. “We have known all along that defense is going to have to be a strong point for us, so it was great to see our defenders step up and make some big plays last night. 

“There were some crazy long rallies because of the defensive efforts on both sides of the court, and those are the ones we love. It’s a huge boost to the momentum as well as team chemistry when it’s a full-on team effort to win those long rallies.Even the middles were diving all over the floor last night.”

McMullen had a big night offensively as well. The Louisburg senior led the way with 19 kills and also led the offense with 26 assists. Guetterman was right behind her with 22 assists.

Junior Claire Brown and sophomore Hailey Sword had 10 kills each, while junior Allie Kennedy had eight.

The Lady Cats also did well from behind the service line as they totaled nine aces, including two each from Ross, Kennedy, Berck and Guetterman.

The competition only gets tougher from here on out for the Lady Cats as they take part in the Lansing Invitational at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

Louisburg cruises to wins over Burlington, Santa Fe Trail

On Tuesday, Louisburg ventured to Piper High School for a triangular with Burlington and Santa Fe Trail. 

The Lady Cats left with a pair of easy 2-0 wins to continue the hot start to their season.

“Our games at Santa Fe Trail and Burlington were solid wins for us,” Willer said. “At all three levels, each team came out ready to take care of business and represent Louisburg volleyball. In the varsity matches, I was able to play around with the lineup a little bit and try some different options to see what gives us the best team chemistry, and the girls rolled with each and every lineup I threw at them. 

“They may not have been the cleanest games for us, but we were still able to work on our serve and pass game which is huge for us. Starting off 6-0 is a pretty great feeling.”

Louisburg opened with Santa Fe Trail and came away with a 25-10 and 25-17 victory.

Serving was a big key for Louisburg as it tallied 14 aces on the night. Senior Davis Guetterman had seven of those and Corinna McMullen finished with five.

McMullen also led Louisburg with seven kills and had five assists. Guetterman had a team-high six.

Chase Kallevig recorded seven digs to lead the Lady Cat defense.

It was much of the same against Burlington as the Lady Cats got off to a good start in a 25-13, 25-17 victory.

McMullen was again strong serving with a team-high six aces, while Guetterman led Louisburg with six kills and Allie Kennedy added five.

McMullen also had a team-high 22 assists and Guetterman handed out 15. Kallevig had five digs to lead the defense, while Aubryn Berck and Guetterman each had four.

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