BUFFALO – If they kept rankings based on heart, grit, and perseverance, the Altoona-
Midway High School volleyball team might be ranked near the top of the league
standings.
But unfortunately, no such records are kept. And due to a bevy of early-season injuries
and other hitches, the Lady Jets have been forced to cancel a few of their matches while
still seeking their first victory on the court.
AMHS has a thin, super-young roster this season, with only two sophomores and six
freshmen out for volleyball. Injuries and eligibility issues left the Lady Jets with only five
able players to finish out their most recent contest, a triangular Sept. 9 at home.
Since that time, the squad had to withdraw from the Flinthills Invitational (Sept. 13) and
also a triangular on Monday (Sept. 15) at Marais Des Cygnes Valley.
“This has been a tough road to open the season, but the girls have given it their all, and
that’s all you can ask,” said Lady Jet head coach Brandi Swiler. “It is hard for a coach to
look at these scores and know they are losses, and the ladies take them to heart, which is
good and bad for us.
“As a coach, I love to win, but in the case of this year, I am looking more at these girls and
how they are coming together as a team,” Swiler noted. “The ladies look at the
scoreboard – but I look at their play on the court and think, ‘Wow, that was a win when
Allie (Lockhart) blocks, Klaire (Barlow) makes a great backline hit, Destiny (Raymond)
steps up and takes a chance, Keyleigh (Clines) fights for the ball at all costs, Emily (Burch)
serves and will dive for almost anything now.”
“Then in our last match, Rose Peacock finally took a chance and got hurt … but the one
thing she told us was she loves volleyball, the ladies, and playing. In my book, this is more
than a win on the scoreboard; this is a win as a team,” Swiler continued.
Peacock was injured in the home triangular Sept. 9. Swiler said the freshman hit her head
and will be out for at least a couple of weeks.
“When Rose went out, that gave us three on the bench with injuries or grade issues, so
we had to finish the night playing 5 against 6 and learning to fill the gaps,” Swiler said.
“But the girls took this challenge and ran with it. They told me, ‘Coach, we got this!’ I was
proud of them.”
Altoona-Midway lost to Oswego 8-25, 9-25; and to Southeast 3-25, 6-25.
On Sept. 6, the Lady Jets participated in the Uniontown Tournament, met some stiff
competition, and were winless in four matches.
In pool play, AMHS lost 20-25, 8-25 to Christian Learning Center; 5-25, 9-25 to
Uniontown, and 7-25, 12-25 to Pleasanton. The Lady Jets then took on Marmaton Valley
in the seventh-place contest and fell 11-25, 15-25.
Despite the losses, I saw a lot of improvement in confidence and ball movement,” Swiler
praised. “We are such a young team this year, but not only are they growing on the court,
they are growing in team relationships, which is so valuable as well.
Emily Burch was the top server for AMHS with 20 service points for the day.
“She has a very soft, right-over-the-net serve which is hard to receive, and teams have a
hard time adjusting to this type of serve,” Swiler said. “Destiny Raymond and Keyleigh
Clines made some great plays together to keep us in games many times throughout the
day. They are becoming quite the duo together.
“Also, Allie Lockhart had two blocks and gained confidence at the net, while Klaire Barlow
is showing confidence is becoming a strong back-line hitter,” she added.
The Lady Jets opened the season with losses to Erie and Marmaton Valley.
Altoona-Midway was scheduled to participate in a triangular on Tuesday, Sept. 16, against
host Central Heights and Chetopa. The Lady Jets will be at home Saturday, Sept. 20.
Games times TBA.
AMMS Volleyball
The season is also underway for the Altoona-Midway Middle School volleyball squad, and
the Lady Jets picked up their first victory in a set last Monday at Elk Valley.
In the final match of the day, AMMS and Elk Valley agreed to play just two sets, and they
finished with a split. The Lady Jets won the opener 15-13, while Elk Valley followed with a
15-9 decision.
“Our serving was the key to the win,” said AMMS head coach Heather Poeverlein.
“Leighin (Hunsperger), Kenzie (Nalley), and Ainsley (Wheeler) were solid in the serving
position, which gained us points and the confidence we needed. “In addition, McKenna
(Matlock), Makayla (Mustain) and Emily (Lockhart) all did a great job on defense,
receiving the ball and keeping it in play.”
AMMS also squared off against both Altamont Middle School’s A and B squads, falling 5-
25, 7-25 to Altamont “A” and losing a single set 10-15 to Altamont “B.”
“Altamont A was a strong opponent and a well-seasoned team, starting five eighth
graders,” Poeverlein noted. “We were able to play some good points with them, but just
couldn’t put it all together. We actually led much of the match against Altamont B before
coming up short. Leighin and Kenzie were our big servers for this round, while Ainsley
came up with some very good hits and service returns to keep us in the set.”
The Lady Jets opened their middle school slate by falling to Thayer in straight sets on
Sept. 4. Scores were not available.
“The key to our team this year is learning to serve movement and talking,” Poeverlein
said. “Being so young (two 8th graders and four 6th graders), we are just about introducing
the fundamentals and exposure to the game.”
The next match for the AMMS volleyball team is Thursday, Sept. 18, when they host
Liberty Homeschool Alliance. That match is slated to begin at 4 p.m.