Demon volleyball downs Mid-Prairie

The Washington Volleyball team has gone on a run recently, winning four of its last five matches, including one Thursday against Mid-Prairie at home. The Demons defeated the Golden Hawks in three games: 27-25, 25-21 and 25-20.

Demon head coach Jeff Spenner said his team got behind early in the first game but finished the match strong.

?We had to come back to win the first game, and the other two games were back and forth, too,? he said. ?We played a lot better in the last two games. I thought we were more aggressive.?

Sammy Ellingson was a perfect 15-15 from the service line. She shone on both defense (16 digs) and offense (five kills). Ellingson was absent for the Demons? 3-2 defeat at Fort Madison Tuesday because she was in Washington, D.C., serving as a chaperone for World War II and Korean War veterans who went on the Honor Flight.

Spenner said that the girls who filled in for Ellingson in Fort Madison did a good job, but said it?s difficult to replace a senior, especially the kind of leader Ellingson is.

?We?re happy to have her back,? he said. ?She had a great game against Mid-Prairie. She did a good job of covering, which allowed us to get another hit when they blocked the ball. That kind of thing doesn?t show up on the stat line.?

Lauren Kimball set up most of the Demons? 21 kills with her 19 assists. She also finished with six digs.

?Lauren has been getting better and better,? the coach said. ?Even if we have a rough moment with passing, she can make a good set out of anything.?

Stephanie was a perfect 10-10 in serving. Spenner said the team has served very well so far this year, posting a serve percentage of 93 percent.

Beth Dillon led the team with eight kills and she also posted 11 digs. Maddie Collins finished with 16 digs and three of the team?s five aces.

?Maddie transferred from Mid-Prairie, so she had a few jitters, but she did a great job,? Spenner said.

Mid-Prairie head coach Melissa Stumpf said her team served well and played tough defense but just committed too many mental mistakes.

?We made too many mistakes in our hitting, either hitting the ball in the net or out of bounds,? she said. ?When the other team gives us the ball, we?ve got to make something happen, and we didn?t take it to them last night.?

Among the leaders on the Golden Hawks was Taylor Kurtz, who had 13 kills, two blocks and went 9-10 serving with three aces. Jess Butters had eight kills. Courtney Cayton picked up five kills and a block. Ashley Sojka dug the ball out seven times and went 16-18 from the line with four aces. Ashley Miller was 8-10 serving with three aces and 13 digs. Mallory McArtor had 14 digs, while Courtney Shalla had six digs and 15 assists.

The Demons? next match is against Mt. Pleasant in Mt. Pleasant. Washington has played Mt. Pleasant twice and lost both times, once in Washington and later at a tournament in Ottumwa.

?They?re a really good team,? Spenner said. ?They?re a good serving team, and a team you?ve got to be ready for on defense. It will be a great match Tuesday.?

The Demons will get a long break after their match against Mt. Pleasant. They won?t play again for a week and a half until they host a tournament on Saturday, Oct. 6. Their tournament matches will be against Sigourney, Tri-County-Thornburg and Wapello.

Mid-Prairie hosts a tournament Saturday. It will play four matches.