Solid team effort lifts Alma
By Kevin Taylor
Alma Schools
The Alma Lady Airedales’ volleyball team has been in a holding pattern when it comes to starting matches.
Playing well early hasn’t been an issue.
But Monday, after blowing a sizable lead in the first game of their first-ever match with Ozark, the Lady Airedales rebounded for a 21-25, 25-13, 25-21, 25-12 win over the Lady Hillbillies.
Julia Nutt inched closer to 500 career assists with 49 assists and Chloe Gregory and Maggie Brogan combined for 25 kills in the Lady Airedales’ victory.
Alma used some big surges in the final three games to secure the team’s fourth win of the year.
“Momentum is such a big thing, and you have to hold onto it and protect it,” Alma coach Kim Weaver said. “We finally figured out that we’re going to have to make that happen if we want to come out on top. We’re trying to create a habit of winning, expectations, and not a surprise (win).”
“Honestly, we just flipped a switch,” Alma senior Zoe Thrift said. “I gave a little pep talk on how we needed to play for one person more and to play with all we had to win.”
Alma led by as many as seven points (13-6) in the opener before falling late. They held an 18-10 advantage in the third game when, after Ozark had rallied to tie the match at 20, Miranda Gibson’s kill put them ahead for good.
Gibson led the team with five aces.
“We talked about being courageous; it’s been a theme this year,” Gibson said. “After the first game, we’ve really had a mindset this year from having heads down and having low energy, so (tonight) we were courageous for our teammates and worked together.”
Gregory led Alma (4-14) with 15 kills. Brogan had 10, and Breella Hughes and Nutt finished with seven and six, respectively.
Thrift had five kills.
Volleyball
Isabella Peters had six kills, 12 digs, and a serve-receive average of 2.08 to help power Alma’s ninth-grade volleyball team to a 25-17, 23-35, 15-13 win over Greenwood Monday, the team’s 14th victory in 15 games.
Anna Swarnes had five kills and 10 digs, and an even stronger serve-receive average (2.35) for the Lady Airedales. Swarnes also had an ace and an assist. Emberly Kimes finished with eight kills (no hitting errors) and had a block assist and one assist. Jaslyn Boone finished with 11 assists, three aces, and six digs.
Also for Alma, Jaeda Cahoon had five kills (.286 hitting average), five digs, and one ace.
Matilyn Dunn had 12 assists and five digs; Bailee Oliver added 15 digs, three aces, and three assists, and Peyton Morris had one kill, one dig, and one block assist.
Alma’s eighth grade dropped a tough 26-24, 26-24 decision to Greenwood.
Jaeli Morris had six kills and hit .857 for the Lady Airedales. Madelyn House had three kills, and Bentley Vaughn and Kadee Wise had six digs apiece.
Chloe Kovalck had 10 assists, five kills, five digs, and three aces for the Lady Airedales. Mallory Taylor added eight assists, five digs, and three aces. Also for Alma, Olivia Hughes had three kills, two digs, and one ace.
Olivia Whipple had three aces, one kill, and one dig; Ellyse Wright had two blocks and one kill; Camryn Waters had an ace and a dig; and Raelynn Avey added one dig.