Louisburg sweeps Paola, falls to Spring Hill in league duals

By Andy Brown
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Updated: October 2, 2023

Andy Brown / Louisburg Sports Zone

Louisburg senior Hailey Sword rises up for a kill last Tuesday during the Wildcats’ home match against Paola.

The Louisburg volleyball team ventured back into Frontier League action last week and finished with a split of Paola and Spring Hill.

The one victory was a big one as the Wildcats swept rival Paola, 25-17, 25-14 and 25-18, last Tuesday at home to get their 14th win on the season.

It was also the Wildcats’ Pink-Out Night as they raised money to support a local family battling cancer. Louisburg coach Leanna Willer couldn’t have asked for a better outcome for her team.

“Beating Paola is always a good feeling with the natural rivalry between our two schools,” Willer said. “I thought the girls came out with some fire and energy that carried us through the night. It was awesome to see how confident we played as girls were going up to swing with no fear and really terminating quite well throughout the match.”

The Wildcats were down two starters due to injury, but several players picked up the slack, including Hailey Sword. The Louisburg senior registered a team-high 13 kills was second on the team with 13 digs. She also added a pair of aces.

“Hailey had a great night,” Willer said. “Her court awareness keeps improving, and she’s a very smart hitter that can find the open spot on the other side. She’s also very skilled in knowing when to just get up and swing hard, which was evident in many of her kills on Tuesday. She’s an all-around player that can really energize this team when she gets going, so we are excited to see what we get from her down the stretch.”

***Setter Megan Quinn sets up a teammate at the net Tuesday against Paola.***

Sophomore Delaney Nelson played all-six rotations for Louisburg and was especially strong on the defensive end with a team-high 17 digs. She also had a team-high four aces and eight kills.

Sophomores Caileigh Kilgore and McKenna Lohse had eight and seven kills, respectively. Senior Megan Quinn tallied a team-best 22 assists and freshman Adelyn Moore had 16.

Moore also finished with nine digs on the night and senior libero Ashlyn Berck added seven.

“One of the biggest positives of the night was just our overall team confidence and chemistry,” Willer said. “Everyone on the court and on the bench were locked into the game and cheering for each other’s successes, which is exactly what we need to succeed as a team. We stayed in a great headspace where everyone felt confident in playing their game.”

Wildcats drop league match to Spring Hill

Louisburg’s schedule got quite a bit tougher Thursday when they Wildcats went on the road to face off with Spring Hill.

The Broncos showed why they are one of the best teams in the Frontier League as they handed Louisburg a 25-16, 25-12 and 25-12 loss.

Sophomores Caileigh Kilgore and Delaney Nelsen led the Wildcats at the net with six kills each. Setter Megan Quinn had 10 assists.

Senior Hailey Sword finished with a team-best seven digs on defense, while senior Ashlyn Berck and freshman Adelyn Moore had six and five, respectively.