Hawks send out Demons

It was fitting that the seniors shined for Mid-Prairie when the volleyball team hosted senior night against Washington on Thursday night.

The excitement of the emotional night for the Hawks? three seniors led to a strong night for the home team, as they ran to a three-set sweep over the Demons, defeating Washington for the third time in a week.

?They came out with so much adrenaline at the beginning, and we played all our seniors and took advantage of it,? Mid-Prairie head coach Cindi Miller said. ?Most of their points were our errors, so once we clean that up we can have fun and that?s what it?s about.?

After a quick first set, which saw Mid-Prairie take a 25-14 victory, Washington was able to rally back and play tough in the second set, bringing the Hawks to the wire.

?I think sometimes it can take some time to settle in,? Washington head coach Julianna Berg said. ?Nerves were really high and emotions were really high, and you could tell that they really wanted this one. That was the hardest that I?ve ever seen them play, and to settle and calm their nerves for those second and third sets helped us.?

The Demons kept things tight in the second set, but ultimately fell to the Hawks 26-24 in the set.

?We knew we were making mistakes and we needed to play at our level,? Miller said. ?Over our season, we learned can?t look past anybody. There are teams that are rock solid and we play with them, but there are some teams with low skill and we (struggle). Experience has helped teach us that.?

The Hawks cruised in the third and final set, claiming a 25-10 victory to claim the match.

?(The biggest takeaway) is that we were playing to win and with intensity and being mentally tough,? Berg said after the loss, ?being able to be intense and also have a calm brain at the same time and have that balance between playing hard and not being panicked. We need to keep playing at that level, but rein in those emotions.?

Mid-Prairie was led by seniors Jazmyne Jones and Emily Cayton, who combined for 18 kills (11 from Jones) and 17 digs (team-high 14 from Cayton).

Freshman Jaedynn Evans led the Hawks with 15 kills in the match.

Mid-Prairie will travel to face Regina on Tuesday, while Washington will take a week off, before hosting their home tournament on Oct. 10.