By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
St. Joseph Central seemed poised for a jamboree sweep on Tuesday, opening up an early lead on Bishop LeBlond in the first set of the sixth and final match of the night.
The Eagles, however, denied the Indians a sweep and handed Central its only defeat in the city volleyball jamboree at the MWSU Fieldhouse.
Central swept rivals Benton and Lafayette before falling to LeBlond 2-0 (15-12, 15-7) in the jamboree's final match.
Not the desired ending, but still a fun night for the Central players, coaches and vocal student section, as the Indians were still able to claim victory in the city event.
"It feels good," senior middle Isabella Flaska said, after leading her team with five kills in the final match and 13 on the night. "I mean, we definitely could have done better and would have felt better if we would have pulled it through the last match, but it still feels good being, you know, out there."
Head coach Monica Flaska noticed somewhat of a mental breakdown by her team by the time their final match of the night came around.
"At the end of the night, I think mentally they were exhausted and couldn't put the mental and the physical together successfully," Flaska said. "But, I did try a lot of different lineups tonight and am still playing with what I'm going to work with in the fall and in the Kansas City (Suburban) Conference."
Match 1 - Lafayette 2 LeBlond 0 (15-13, 15-13)
Both sets were back and forth throughout, but the Irish prevailed late in both sets. Senior middle Khiani Jackson had five kills and two blocks to start off an all around solid night for her.
LeBlond's Kianna Herrera had seven kills herself in the first match.
Match 2 - Central 2 Benton 0 (15-9, 15-14)
Central controlled the tempo in the first match, and fended off a feisty Cardinals squad in the second. This jamboree marked the debut for new Benton coach Lauryn Doolan. Sophomore Hollie Peters led the Cardinals with four kills. Senior Abby Dorsey led the Indians with two kills and a block.
Match 3 - Benton 1 Lafayette 1 (15-13, 15-13)
The Cardinals won the first set, and the Irish the second. Peters was again solid for Benton, knocking down five ace serves. Freshman Andrea Simmons had four kills for the Cardinals. Khiani Jackson led Lafayette with three kills and a block.
Match 4 - Central 2 Lafayette 0 (15-8, 15-3)
The Indians controlled this one from start to finish. Junior Katie Miller led Central with four kills. A series of service and attack errors doomed Lafayette in both sets. The Irish ended the jamboree with a 1-1-1 record.
Match 5 - Benton 1 LeBlond 1 (15-9, 15-5)
After Benton controlled the tempo in the first set, LeBlond dominated the second, thanks to four more kills from Kianna Herrera. The Cardinals were held to just three kills as a team in this match. The Cardinals ended the jamboree at 0-1-2.
Match 6 - LeBlond 2 Central 0 (15-12, 15-7)
LeBlond carried that momentum over from the second set against Benton, and came from behind to take the first set from Central before dominating the second.
"My favorite thing from the whole night is that everybody who was sitting on the bench was super engaged in what was going on," LeBlond coach Kim Huss said. "Sometimes, it's hard to be the bench player, because you don't know if you're going to get that chance or get your time on the floor, and I thought our girls on the side did a great job of staying engaged in what was happening."
Herrera, an all-conference performer who transferred to LeBlond from Benton, finished the jamboree unofficially with 18 total kills and three aces, as LeBlond finished the jamboree with a 1-1-1 record.
"It's really exciting," Herrera said. "Especially being a transfer, I knew watching (LeBlond) last year that they had so much potential, and with me joining that equation, it just brings that energy and intensity we needed (in the final match) and we brought it to the floor and won."
LeBlond opens its season August 30 at Rock Port. Benton takes part in the East Atchison tournament Saturday, Central is home to Truman on August 31 and Lafayette is at Van Horn on the 31st as well.
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