White Pigeon’s volleyball team got the best of familiar foe Centreville one last time this season with a four-set, Class C district-opening win Monday. The Chiefs rallied from a 23-25 loss in the first game to take the last three, 25-21, 25-19, 25-14, on the Bulldogs’ home floor.
Photo by Wes Morgan
Backed by a raucous student section, Centreville gradually ran out of steam against a White Pigeon team that adjusted offensively after running into Bulldogs blockers.
“Centreville does a lot of good things on the court,” White Pigeon coach Tony Hooley said. “We play totally different styles of volleyball, yet all our matches have been pretty close. It’s not easy to beat the same team multiple times in a season, so we feel good to come out with a win in their gym.
“Bethany Hagner might not have had the most consistent night at the net but she still produced points for us and had a great night passing out of serve-receiver. I really like how Riley Phelps has played in our last few outings. She is starting to own that right side. I’m also proud that our two middles were able to give us some valuable offense when Centreville’s big block kept our outside hitters in check. We needed everyone pulling their weight tonight and several people stepped up when it was needed the most.”
Bethany Hagner led the Chiefs with 13 kills and finished with four aces and eight digs. Rachel Brock also had four aces while contributing 13 digs, Danielle Chantrenne smashed 12 kills, Riley Phelps had nine digs and two blocks, Skyler DeMeyer produced 29 assists and 22 digs, Sydney Harmon added six kills and 11 digs and Kathrina Hagner finished with six kills.
“Our passing improved a lot after we checked down on the fundamentals,” Harmon said. “We took advantage of open spots on their side of the court when we were tipping, and we just started playing with a lot of confidence and kept that energy level up.”
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Centreville’s Mattie Kirby ended the night with eight kills and eight digs, Baileyy May posted 11 kills and eight digs, Jenna Beeker collected five aces and 17 digs, Madison Hunter registered 18 assists and Charity Yeager chipped in eight digs.
“It was an emotional night,” Centreville coach Melissa Gales said. “Knowing that you’re parting ways for a period of time with a group of girls who have been family is the difficult part of a season. I’m so proud of my team, their hard work and the dedication to the team, program and coaches. We are appreciative of the dedication and leadership of lone senior Charity Yeager and recognize the difficult task of replacing her. I look forward to offseason work and the ability to build upon a great season we just finished.”