Eagle volleyball fourth at Cherryvale

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

CHERRYVALE -- Uniontown's volleyball team finished in fourth place at the Cherryvale Tournament here Saturday. The Eagles, ranked No. 7 in Class 2A by the Kansas Volleyball Association, competed against schools varying in size from Class 4A to Class 1A.

"Advancing out of pool play and finishing fourth in this 10-team tournament was good enough for us," Uniontown head coach Jackie Hall said.

The Eagles (15-5) were by no means settling for fourth. They advanced out of pool play to a semifinal with the Wichita Defenders, a team made up of home-schooled players, and had a rematch with Class 4A Independence for fourth place.

In the pool, Uniontown defeated Cherryvale, 25-17, 25-19. Mandie Ridge was successful on 14 of 17 attack opportunities and picked up 6 kills. Britney Stokes handed out 14 assists.

The Eagles defeated Prairie View in three sets, 22-25, 25-23, 25-13. Stokes handed out 16 assists. Ridge was 30 of 31 in attack with 7 kills and Hannah Travis was 15 of 16 with 4 kills.

The Eagles swept Independence, which had lost just once in 13 matches prior to the tournament, 25-20, 25-20. Ridge was 16 of 17 in attack with 6 kills. Emily Shinn was 11 of 12 with 5 kills. Stokes dealt out 15 assists.

To wrap up pool play, Uniontown beat Howard-West Elk 25-21, 25-16. Ridge was 18/21 in attack with 9 kills. Stokes contributed 24 assists.

The Wichita Defenders swept Uniontown, 26-24, 25-21 in the semifinal. Stokes was credited with 13 assists.

Independence (16-3) swept the third-place match, 25-15, 25-22. Ridge had 4 kills and Stokes dealt 8 assists.

The Eagles step back into Three Rivers League play tonight when they go to Chetopa. This quadrangular also includes Marmaton Valley and Jayhawk-Linn. Play is set to begin at 4 p.m. to accommodate the number of varsity and junior varsity matches to be played.