Wildcats sweep Bonner Springs in road league dual

Louisburg’s Delaney Nelsen and Izzy Moreland team up for a block Tuesday during the Wildcats’ 3-0 win over Bonner Springs.

Fresh off a tournament win where the Louisburg volleyball team reeled off six straight wins, the Wildcats kept that momentum going Tuesday at Bonner Springs.

Louisburg made quick work of Bonner Springs as it rolled to a 25-16, 25-12 and 25-14 victory over the Braves in Frontier League action.

“I was very happy that our girls kept our momentum from Saturday heading into league play this week,” Louisburg coach Leanna Willer said. ‘I love that our team is growing in confidence and comfortability with each other, and I’m glad to see that in our play on the court as we continue to perform this season. Our setters did a great job of moving the ball around and balancing the offense among all of our hitters, who each stepped up at different times to make some big plays.”

The Wildcats (8-5) jumped out to a fast start against the Braves and never looked back. Louisburg’s offense got rolling from the beginning and it started with its setters.

Freshman Adelyn Moore led the way with 17 assists on they night and senior Megan Quinn added 12.

Several hitters also had big nights as senior Madie Williams had a team-high 10 kills, while senior Hailey Sword finished with nine. Senior Katie Elpers was third on the team with five kills and sophomore Delaney Nelsen and senior Izzy Moreland had four and three, respectively.

Williams was also strong behind the service line with six aces, while Moore, Quinn and Moreland each finished with two.

Sword led the Wildcat defense with seven digs on the night, while senior libero Ashlyn Berck, Williams and Quinn each finished with six. Junior Evyn Richardson had a team-high two blocks.

The Wildcats were also able to work in sophomore middle McKenna Lohse into the match for her first-ever varsity action.

“I loved that we were able to work McKenna into the rotation in the third set to see her varsity debut,” Willer said. “She is doing a great job on JV this year and stepped into our rotation with no issues. Under the leadership/mentorship of Izzy Moreland, she did great.”

With those seven straight wins, however, the Wildcats have now hit a lull in their schedule where they get a week off of game action. That all sets up a busy week for Louisburg next week that includes a league dual against Eudora, a triangular and its home tournament Saturday.

“As much as we would love to keep playing and continue the momentum, having a small break like this is nice heading into a big week,” Willer said. “We are using the extra practice time this week to focus in on some fundamental skills as well as give our bodies some time to rest and recuperate before such a big week. Without having to worry about preparing for a specific opponent, we can really hone in on the aspects of the game specific to our team that we want to improve.”