Golden Hawks battle Beavers to the brink

Mid-Prairie is playing its best volleyball at the right time, sweeping Monticello and Alburnett before losing a battle against 3A No. 9 Wilton in the River Valley Conference South Division tournament Monday night.

Mid-Prairie's second-place finish in its pool advanced the Golden Hawks to bracket play on Thursday at Wilton. Mid-Priaire will open against 2A No. 3 Beckman Catholic at 4 p.m.

Wilton holds off Hawks

Mid-Prairie fought to the bitter end against Wilton Monday night, but ultimately lost to the Beavers 2-0 (21-15, 26-24).

The Golden Hawks dominated at the net, as senior Morgyn Bender had the best night of her career. Bender, who is playing her first and only season of high school volleyball, won physical matchups time and time again at the net and held her own in her first stint of back row play when the Golden Hawks ran out of substitutions at the end of the second set.

“She’s never played that role, even in practice she hasn’t played back row much,” Mid-Prairie co-head coach Sherri Evans said. “I’m so proud of her.”

Fellow co-head coach Zeb Evans went on to describe her play at the net.

“Her and Sierra [Crowner] both were dominant, just really taking control of the net,” Zeb said. “They’re just now starting to really get that, where they’re fast or pressing, they’re doing everything right.”

Jeorgia Evans led the offense, as she usually does, with 9 kills against the Beavers. When things got tight at the end of the match, every out-of-system ball found its way to Evans, whether she was in the back row, on the outside or at the right pin.

“Jeorgia is a baller,” Sherri said. “I think sometimes we maybe overuse her a little bit, and maybe we need to get it around, but when you put her in a tight situation, more likely than not, she will find a way to score.”

The Golden Hawks were dominant in serve receive, not giving up a single ace to the Beavers. In many ways, Mid-Prairie played a better game. What did the young Golden Hawks in was their attention to detail.

Several weak Wilton shots, including a handful of free balls, found the floor thanks to gaps and miscommunications within Mid-Prairie’s defense. Late in the first set, Zeb called a timeout specifically to address covering those junk balls.

“When they send free balls, they like to go short with them,” Zeb said of what was giving Mid-Prairie troubles with Wilton’s overpasses. “We have to get up there and be ready to take a free ball and turn it into offense instead of a scramble.”

While Mid-Prairie cleaned up its execution in the second set, the Golden Hawks made just enough mistakes to let the second slip out of their fingers. Mid-Prairie’s players and coaches alike were frustrated with the refereeing down the stretch, with the Golden Hawks pleading with the refs to call a perceived touch after several hits that were called out and Zeb arguing a net violation called against the Golden Hawks and a lift not called on Wilton during extra points in the second. Sherri thought their team responded well to that frustration, though.

“They stayed composed and they moved on to the next play, and that’s what we have to do,” Sherri said. “I think they did a good job tonight.”

Mid-Prairie is set to open the regional tournament at home next Tuesday in a bout with Fairfield.

Hawks beat Panthers

Mid-Prairie took a 2-0 (21-18, 21-7) sweep over Monticello, grinding out a tightly-contested first set before running away with the second.

Freshman Ashlee Statler had an efficient and productive match, hitting .455 while tying Jeorgia Evans with a match-high 6 kills.

Evans dominated at the service line, delivering 4 aces for the Golden Hawks in the victory, while Elise Foster led the defense with 9 digs.

Evans pounds Pirates

Jeorgia Evans controlled Mid-Prairie’s 2-0 (21-17, 21-13) win over Alburnett from first serve to match point.

The junior led Mid-Prairie in kills, blocks, aces and digs while hitting a sky-high .583 hitting percentage.

Mid-Prairie also went 2-2 at the Clear Creek Amana tournament on Saturday, defeating Anamosa and 2A No. 5 Union while losing to North Scott and 4A No. 4 CCA.