Hawks advance in pool play

It was a big night for the Mid-Prairie volleyball team on Tuesday night.

The Hawks picked up a victory over Durant in the pool play at North Cedar, and advanced to the bracket portion of the tournament which begins on Thursday night.

?We recovered quickly from the loss to North Cedar in the first match,? Mid-Prairie head coach Cindi Miller said. ?This was our third time playing Durant and we wanted the win more. We were looking forward to this rematch since last Saturday when we played so competitively but were edged out in a very close game. We knew with the way we played them last time that the third time could be our turn for the win if we stepped up our defense and served strong.?

Mid-Prairie suffered an initial loss in pool play to North Cedar in straight sets, 21-12, 21-16, before going the distance with Durant, claiming the match in three sets, 18-21, 21-13, 15-13.

The win puts Mid-Prairie at 15-14 on the season, and marks the team?s first 15-win season in more than five years.

In the loss to North Cedar, the Hawks were led by freshman Jaedynn Evans? seven kills, followed by senior Jazmyne Jones, who had six. Clarice Murphy finished the contest with 12 assists, while Sami Miller had seven for Mid-Prairie, and Jones recorded the lone ace for the team.

As a team, Mid-Prairie served at a clip of 93.1 percent in the loss.

In the match victory against Durant, the Hawks were once again led by Evans, who put up 14 kills in the match, while Jones and junior Ali Butters each had seven kills.

Four Hawks found their way into double-digit digs in the match, with Evans leading the way with 15, and junior Amanda Miller notching 14. Murphy and senior Emily Cayton had 10 digs apiece.

Murphy had 22 assists in the match, as the team served at a rate of 87 percent, with Cayton notching two aces to

her credit.

Mid-Prairie will advance to bracket play on Thursday at North Cedar, where they will take on West Liberty in the first round. West Liberty swept the only match between the teams this year, but Mid-Prairie only lost the three sets by a combined 10 points.

If Mid-Praire defeats West Liberty, the Hawks will advance to face the winner of North Cedar and Monticello.