By Rob Hamilton
Highland volleyball finished third in Saturday’s Gilmour Invitational.
The Scots went 2-1 on the day. They opened with a 16-25, 25-22, 25-19 decision over 2020 DIvision III state champion Huron. Kendall Stover finished with 19 kills, while Emma West had six. Ashlynn Belcher tallied 29 assists and four aces, Brylinn Tuggle added 17 digs and Zoya Winkelfoos had four aces.
The team then suffered its second loss of the season against Lake Catholic (ranked 10th in Division II) by scores of 19-25 and 17-25. Stover finished with 11 kills, while Belcher had 18 assists, Tuggle finished with 11 digs and Winkelfoos recorded three aces.
In the third-place match, Highland topped Kenston (ranked fifth in Division II) 25-19 and 25-20. Stover had 10 kills and Kameron Stover added eight more. Belcher contributed 19 assists and three aces.
Stover was named to the all-tournament team for her efforts, while Belcher claimed the Highland career assists record with her seventh assist in the team’s first game. The record now stands at 1987. It was previously held by Kara Orsborn, who had 1921 from 2007 to 2009.
Cardington Pirates
After 11 days without a game, the Cardington volleyball team was able to take the court again on Saturday when they defeated Colonel Crawford 24-26, 25-15, 25-19 and 25-23.
Coach Ryan Treese praised Maddie Linkous (12 kills) and Lily Clark (4 kills) for their work in stepping up in the absence of Payton Goodman, who was taking a college visit that day. Izzy Wickline had 13 kills and a couple blocks, while the team combined for 14 aces.
Rob Hamilton can be reached at 419-946-3010, ext. 1807. Connect with him on Twitter at @SportsMCS
