The 11th-ranked Golden Hawks put on a volleyball clinic for the fans in attendance at Monday’s regional quarterfinal match in Wellman. Mid-Prairie scored the first nine points of the night and defeated Washington 25-6, 25-15, 25-5, advancing to the semifinal round. 

“We knew coming into this match that we had to dominate and make a statement right away,” said freshman Jovi Evans. “We want to bring more people out from the community, because it’s so much more fun with everybody here.”

Evans had six kills and 13 assists in the win, along with six of the team’s 22 aces. 

“Our serves were phenomenal and everybody did a fantastic job with that,” Evans said. “But our seniors especially did a great job leading and bringing the heat on offense.”

Last year, Landry Pacha and Ella Groenewold were ecstatic after experiencing a postseason victory for the first time in their careers. This year, the seniors were happy with their team’s performance, but they have bigger goals in mind. 

“We definitely have the mindset to make it to state,” Groenewold said. “We know that we can if we work hard and play to the best of our abilities — and that's really our goal right now. We knew coming out here tonight that this was just the first step towards that goal. It's great to win, but we’ve just got to keep going.”

Mid-Prairie junior Paige Safly gave Mid-Prairie a 10-1 lead in the third set with four consecutive aces. 

“It’s so much fun, I love the energy and playing with all of (my teammates)” Safly said about the atmosphere during the Golden Hawk runs. 

Safly had four kills and led the Golden Hawks with nine aces in the match. 

“When she’s on, she’s on and there’s no stopping her,” Mid-Prairie coach Sherry Evans said about Safly’s serving.

Harper Pacha’s kills gave the Golden Hawks a 17-3 lead in the final set, followed by a Landry Pacha ace that extended the lead to 15 points. 

Harper finished with seven kills and three aces, while Landry had eight kills and 12 assists in the victory. 

“It was so much fun,” Landry said after the win. “That was one of the best games we’ve ever played. Everything just clicked and hopefully that continues moving forward.”

Dakota Mitchell had 13 digs and was recognized after the game for getting the 1,000th dig of her varsity career over the weekend. 

Callie Huber had a kill, a block and three aces and Lanee Duwa had five digs. 

Senior Lizzie Kalm entered the game in the third set and put the Golden Hawks up 24-5 with a kill on her second attack. 

No. 11 Mid-Prairie (25-11) will host Davis County (25-14) in the regional semifinal on Wednesday. The Mustangs were a 25-18, 25-19, 25-19 winner over Central Lee. 

The semifinal winner will likely face No. 2 Davenport Assumption in the regional final for a trip to the state volleyball tournament.

“The competition is just going to get tougher and tougher,” Evans said. “We need to just continue working on our blocking, running a fast offense, not getting called for net play — being in the net, just little things to clean up.”

Evans also said that her players won’t be content with just a win or two in the postseason this year. 

“I think we’re just a little more hungry for that opportunity to hopefully make it to state this year,” she said. “The girls rapport together on and off the court is probably the best we’ve had so far in my four years of coaching. They just really get along, they’re very tight and they have each other’s back. I think that makes a big difference.”