Mid-Prairie downs Durant

Mid-Prairie remained perfect in conference play Tuesday night. The Golden Hawks’ consistent offensive attack fought off River Valley South foe Durant to for a 3-0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-15) win.

The Golden Hawks (14-4, 4-0 RVC South) overcame slower starts in the first two sets, with a 13-2 run to start the third set that eliminated the opportunity for Durant to extend the match. Mid-Prairie forced Durant to burn both of its timeouts early, first after a 7-2 start, then after 6-1 run out of the first stoppage.

“We really tried going fast this game,” senior Avery Helmuth said. “We started the game really slow and we just continued to try and get faster and faster as the sets went on. I think that really helped pick up our game.”

The Golden Hawks remained steadfast, even as Durant looked to match them throughout. Mid-Prairie’s offense made small runs in the second set to stave off the visitors. Senior Jovi Evans, who finished with a team-high 16 kills, scored back-to-back points to make it 17-13 Mid-Prairie. The Golden Hawks outscored the Wildcats 8-2 from there to close out the set.

Throughout the match, Durant kept points alive by digging up hard hit shots by the Golden Hawks. Mid-Prairie fell behind 10-8 to start the opening set as the visitors relied on strong defensive effort against the RVC South’s top team.

“With our team, we want to be the scrappy team and also have the big swings,” co head coach Zeb Evans said. “So, sometimes we do get into, ‘Oh, we swing big so it’s going to be point over,’ and it’s not always point over. We’ve got to stay engaged.”

Mid-Prairie quickly found its rhythm in the opening set after a Laurin Fay kill started a 9-0 run. Later, a big-time block by Tessa Bombei and Katelyn Harland turned into five straight points for the Golden Hawks to close the set.

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Harland finished the match behind Evans with 11 kills. Helmuth led the way in assists with 22.

Some of the loudest cheers from both the large group of students in the “Hawks Nest” and Golden Hawks players Tuesday were for Ellie Callahan. One of six seniors on the Mid-Prairie team, Callahan made her first appearance of the season and logged three kills in the final set.

“I’m just glad I got an opportunity to just show out and just work my hardest,” Callahan said. “It was a good opportunity (and) a special thing for me.”

The Golden Hawks will celebrate their seniors Thursday when they take on Alburnett.

Mid-Prairie has now ripped off back-to-back 3-0 conference wins following an 0-4 showing at a tournament in Iowa City. The Golden Hawks lost matches to Class 5A No. 4 Bettendorf, No. 9 Iowa City West and No. 4 Ankeny as well as 4A No. 1 Clear Creek Amana.

After testing themselves against some of the best teams in the state, both the players and coaches feel the tournament can serve as a key turning point as the Golden Hawks enter the final stretch of the regular season. Mid-Prairie will play in two more tournaments along with matches against Regina Catholic and Tipton before the River Valley South and RVC tournaments.

“This team, if they believe and they work hard and focus, we can beat anybody, co head coach Shannon Evans said. “I truly believe that because we have the talent.”

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