Tigers handle AC, fall to tough Nevada

Fort Scott’s Tacy Holston receives an Anderson County serve as libero Jocie Allen (4) looks on during a match at the new FSHS gymnasium Tuesday evening. The Tigers swept Anderson County but fell to Nevada in two sets later in the evening.

Scott Nuzum/Tribune

Fort Scott High School’s varsity volleyball team got its season underway Tuesday night by splitting with Anderson County and Nevada in a non-league triangular at the new FSHS gymnasium.

The Tigers (1-1) swept ACHS, 25-13, 25-10. Nevada (3-0) swept both Anderson County, 25-15, 25-17, and Fort Scott, 25-21, 25-19.

Fort Scott was dominant versus Anderson County, rolling off long rolls of points. The Tigers had runs of 7-2, 5-1, and 6-1 in the first set in going up 20-10. They scored 9 of the first 10 points of the second and also the last eight.

“We did a lot of good things,” first-year head coach Jenna Campbell said. “Anderson County is a good team. But we did no wrong. We passed the ball well. We covered very well. And we were smacking the ball. That’s all I asked for in practice was to get our pass-set-hit together and that’s what we did.”

Addi Lyons and Kenady Poyner had 4 hits each in the match. Abby Humble dished out 15 assists. Libero Jocie Allen came up with 3 digs.

Nevada and Fort Scott went point-to-point for most of the first set of their match, almost literally trading scores. The first run of more than 2 points in the match didn’t happen until Nevada broke a 10-10 tie with a 4-point run.

The Tigers fought back and got within 14-13 on a Brooklyn Sheehy kill. Although Nevada didn’t trail again in the set, Fort Scott tied it at 19-19.

Nevada scored 6 of the last eight, ending the set on a kill by Lindley Ferry.

There were longer runs in the beginning of the second set but it was another back-and-forth set early. Nevada broke a 6-6 tie and eventually went up 16-9.

Adrian Bond served an ace for Nevada to make it 24-15 but Fort Scott wasn’t ready to end it yet, scoring 4 in a row before an error ended the match.

“I told them that had they had the intensity that they had in those last few points, we probably would have won that set or it would have been a lot more competitive. But we didn’t have that intensity at the very beginning and that hurt us. Seeing the fight they had at the end tells me some very good things.”

Lyons had 5 kills while Poyner had 4 more. Humble handed out 15 assists. Allen and Emma Martin had 4 digs each

The Tigers host Baxter Springs in a non-league best-of-5 dual at 5 p.m. Thursday.