By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
In Lauryn Doolan's first year as Benton's head volleyball coach in 2021, the Cardinals tied twice and lost a match in the city jamboree played at the Looney Indoor Sports Complex last August.
What a difference a year makes.
The Cardinals didn't lose a single set Tuesday, earning sweeps over Central, Bishop LeBlond and Lafayette at the city volleyball jamboree at the Central High School Coliseum.
"I could not be more proud of my girls," Doolan said. "I gave them a challenge. They were supposed to come in here and give me 100% effort the entire time. They did just that. I wanted them to be the most scrappy team out on the court, and they did just that. Could not be more proud of my girls. Every single one of them."
The Cardinals sealed their sweep with a 15-13, 15-11 win over Lafayette in the fifth match of the night. Junior Hollie Peters led her team in that final match with four kills, including a gigantic swing down the middle that ended in a kill and ultimately ended the match.
"I feel like we did really good," Peters said. "We were missing some important players, but we really pulled it together, and I feel like we blew it out."
Match 1 - LeBlond 1 Lafayette 1 (15-10 LB, 15-13 Lafayette)
One of the standouts from Tuesday was LeBlond freshman Rilynn Conard. She had a match-high six kills in the first contest. Senior Jazlyn King led Lafayette in the first match with three total kills.
Match 2 - Benton 2 Central 0 (18-16, 16-14)
Central had set point in the first set, leading Benton 14-13, but the Cardinals fought off the Indians and forced a couple of ties before finally winning the first set. Benton got off to a 9-2 start in that first set as well.
Set two was just as competitive, but Peters came alive for Benton with five kills in the second set and six total to lead Benton to their first victory of the night.
"I feel like this team is going to do great things, honestly," Peters said. "With the chemistry we have, we are such a great team together and we are just going to do great things."
Central's Katie Miller was a force in the middle all night Tuesday. She had three kills and four blocks in the first match alone.
Match 3 - Benton 2 LeBlond 0 (15-12, 15-13)
Benton took the lead early in set one, and never looked back. Set two was a bit tougher, as LeBlond built a 9-4 lead early, but a 6-0 run by the Cardinals gave them a lead, and that's all Benton would need to eventually complete their second sweep of the night.
Sophomore Andrea Simmons had a team-best three kills. Sadie Ward led LeBlond with four kills. Rilynn Conard had three kills and an ace in the match for the Eagles as well.
Match 4 - Central 2 Lafayette 0 (15-7, 15-13)
The first set was disastrous for the Irish, as the Indians started on a 7-2 run and never looked back. The second was a lot more competitive, but Central held the lead for most of the time and hung on to complete the sweep.
Katie Miller, Gabbie Chapman and Taylor Eiman each had three kills in the win. Miller had a pair of blocks as well for the Indians.
Match 5 - Benton 2 Lafayette 0 (15-13, 15-11)
The first set was rocky all around, with attack and service errors to go around for both teams. The Cardinals communicated a bit better on offense in the second set, and fended off the Irish to complete the sweep.
Andrea Simmons had three more kills for Benton, while Honor Mannings had three kills for Lafayette.
"If we can show our power just like Hollie and Andrea did at the end there, we can be so powerful," coach Doolan said.
Match 6 - Central 1 LeBlond 1 (LB 15-9, Central 15-12)
LeBlond cruised in the first set, but the Indians fired back in the second, getting off to a 7-2 start and fending off a late charge from the Eagles.
Central's McKenzie Brandhorst was impressive with four total kills in the final match. Katie Miller had two kills and an ace serve. Rilynn Conard logged three more kills for LeBlond.
Central is under new leadership this year, with former Northwest Missouri State volleyball player and former Maryville head coach Miranda Mizera being hired as the Indians' head coach this past summer.
With a tie, a loss and a win in her first city jamboree, Mizera was glad that her team got such great experience in a raucous environment on their home floor.
"There was electricity in the gym," she said. "It was good for us to experience that early on in the season so when it comes to postseason, when we're getting up against some intense games, we have some experience with that pressure on us."
Benton opens the season Saturday in the East Atchison tournament, Central is at Excelsior Springs next Tuesday, Lafayette is at Excelsior Springs next Thursday and LeBlond hosts Rock Port next Monday.
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