By Travis Smola
The Vicksburg varsity volleyball team earned a chance to play for the District Championship after a big, three-set sweep of Parchment in the semi-final round.
The first set against the Panthers could have gone either way as the two teams traded scores back and forth. It ended up being the momentum-changer for the other two sets. “I think how it changed us was we realized we couldn’t play that way,” Head Coach Katrina Miller said afterwards. “I thought Parchment played really well, they were loud and aggressive, and we were really quiet.”
But after Tailynn Knapp drove home the final point on an ace serve to take the first set, 25-23, things quieted down significantly on the opposing bench. The Lady Bulldogs took an early lead in both sets that was never threatened as the girls went on to win 25-17 and 25-16 in the next two.
Helping lead the charge were outside hitters Hannah Vallier and Rylie Richter. The girls tallied over 20 kills between the two of them. “Vallier has had awesome nights, Richter has had awesome nights, but to have them both on together hasn’t happened all year,” Miller said. “That was phenomenal. That’s why we won right there. They just couldn’t stop them.”
She also praised the work of Camille Wadley, who set up most of those kills. “She’s our rock, she’s our captain,” Miller said. “There were balls that she set that we didn’t think she could set. And all of a sudden, she pops it outside to Hannah and we get a kill out of it.”
The win brings the team’s record to 25-20-5 after another decisive and sweeping victory over Comstock earlier. The Lady Bulldogs were to face Plainwell for the District title.