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Golden Hawks drop Demons
No. 11 Mid-Prairie volleyball team scores early win
WELLMAN — Thursday night was time for the No. 11 (3A) Mid-Prairie volleyball team to show why it was ranked in the preseason poll, and the Golden Hawks did just that.
Mid-Prairie swept Washington in three-straight sets, beating the Demons 25-20, 25-13 and 25-17.
Washington hung in for most of the first set, but Mid-Prairie closed it out thanks in part to a trifecta of kills by Harper Pacha.
Pacha would only improve from that point on, finishing the night with 11 kills.
“In the first set, I was really nervous. Just first game jitters,” Pacha said. “In the second set, my confidence got a little bit better, and I knew that I just needed to go out there and play my game.”
Mid-Prairie head coach Sherry Evans said her team’s communication improved throughout the night.
“ They started talking a little bit better,” Evans said. “I think that is one of our biggest keys, is we have to talk more.”
Jovi Evans finished with 10 kills, 10 digs and 20 assists for the Golden Hawks. Avery Helmuth had 14 assists. Paige Safly and Callie Huber finished with six and five kills respectively, and Dakota Mitchell led the team with 10 digs.
“There's a lot of excitement, and high expectations too, from our coaches,” Mitchell said. “They expect so much more from us this year, which is good, because we're very excited.”
Washington’s Taylor Miksch finished with five kills to lead the Demons. Leighton Messinger had four kills. Bella Salazar finished with eight digs, and Lauren Hinrichsen finished with five assists.
Washington head coach Aaron Six said, despite the loss, he liked the energy he saw from his squad.
“We want to be able to come together and bring that energy every time we show up,” Six said. “I think we have the girls that are capable of stepping up to that challenge.”
Mid-Prairie followed Thursday’s win with a 4-1 day at the Central Lee tournament. Not a bad start to a season that could see big time dividends for one of the most promising teams in Southeast Iowa.
“I really think we have so much potential this year,” Pacha said. “We're planning on going to state.”
