Louisburg volleyball downs Fort Scott, Girard to stop losing streak

By Andy Brown
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Updated: September 23, 2022

Andy Brown / Louisburg Sports Zone

Louisburg’s Emma Prettyman (pictured) and Allie Kennedy combined for 27 kills in the Wildcats’ 2-1 victory Thursday at Fort Scott.

FORT SCOTT — The Louisburg volleyball team walked into the Fort Scott gymnasium Thursday trying to shake a six-game losing streak.

After the Wildcats left Fort Scott, they started a new streak — a winning one.

The Wildcats held on to defeat Fort Scott, 2-1, in the first match of the night and ended with a 2-0 win over Girard.

“We were due for a win and I am so proud of the girls for how they approached last night,” Louisburg coach Leanna Willer said. “They walked into the gym on a mission and were committed to getting those two wins. I thought we played well together as a team and worked hard to make big plays throughout the night. I think everyone stepped up at different moments, which is exactly what we wanted to see.”

The Wildcats were tested at the net in the first match of the night, thanks to the play of Fort Scott’s Kenzie Murphy as she helped keep the Tigers in it the match.

Louisburg’s middle blockers of Allie Kennedy and Emma Prettyman also rose to the occasion and played one of their better matches of the season.

Kennedy had a team-high 17 kills and two blocks in the match, and Prettyman finished with 10 kills to help Louisburg to a 25-20, 20-25 and 25-22 win over the Tigers.

“We bounced back well in the third set,” Willer said. “They never let the second set loss keep them down in the dumps. We used it to fuel our fire going into the third. It was a middle vs middle battle during that game as Fort Scott’s middle Kenzie Murphy is a force to be reckoned with. Our middles were poised and ready to answer back any of her kills with one of their own, and they really couldn’t stop either of them.”

The Wildcats (5-9) also served well as they finished the match with nine aces. Junior Madelyn Williams led the way with four, while senior Claire Brown and junior Megan Quinn each had two.

Quinn also had a big night for the Wildcat offense as she finished with a team-high 41 assists.

Senior Adyson Ross, who has been up at the net as a hitter for most of the season, switched positions Thursday and was the team’s libero. Ross handled the position well as she helped the Wildcat defense with 15 digs, while Brown had a team-high 18 and Williams finished with 14.

“Moving Adyson to libero has crossed our mind a few times throughout the summer and this season, and we felt like this week was the time to try it out,” Willer said. “Adyson is a great all-around athlete who can play any position, so we love that she is ready and willing to fill any role that the team needs her to play.

“Her passing and defense were solid all throughout the night and our team recognized her for the big defensive plays she made. Having her consistent presence in the back row seemed to be just what our team needed.”

Against Girard, the Wildcats took care of business from the opening whistle in the 25-15 and 25-22 victory.

Kennedy, Williams and Brown each finished the match with six kills, while Williams and Prettyman eat had two blocks. Brown led the way with 11 digs and Quinn led the Wildcat offense with 18 assists.

Louisburg will try and build on this momentum as the Wildcats host the Louisburg Invitational on Saturday as matches begin at 8 a.m. It is a round-robin tournament that will include Basehor-Linwood, Shawnee Mission East, Shawnee Mission West, Shawnee Mission South, Olathe North and Leavenworth.

“We are excited,” Willer said. “We will play a lot of volleyball tomorrow and we know that we have some great opportunities to grow as a team and win some games in the process. We have a wide variety of teams coming to the tournament that we don’t typically see, so we are focused on taking it one match at a time and playing our best. This is one of the last home events we have this season, so we are hoping to see Louisburg show up and support.”