Parsons native Hinman second in nation in blocks
PRATT — Four wins in a row for the first time since 2017 have propelled the Labette Cardinals to the best start in school history on record.
On Monday, the Cardinals traveled to Pratt for a pair of volleyball matches, winning both to improve their record to 4-2.
Labette beat Pratt, 3-1, before sweeping Rose State, 3-0.
“It’s a testament to the kids’ resiliency. They want it,” Labette head coach Deardin Kelley said. “We just have to keep everybody on the same page. But they definitely want it. That’s half the battle.”
In the four-set win over Pratt, Labette won with extra points in all of its set wins, 3-1 (27-25, 26-24, 17-25, 26-24).
“The kids were gritty. This is one of the best Pratt teams they’ve ever had, so I was proud of how the girls matched up with that,” Kelley said. “They had a lot of big kids with heavy swings. But we had to be grittier.
Allie Rushing led the Cardinals with 14 kills.
Iniya Hinman, the hometown hero for the Cardinals, posted six blocks and as many kills. Her 24 blocks on the season thus far rank second in the nation.
“She’s just progressing nicely,” Kelley said. “She’s still new to the speed, but she’s a sponge. She’s constantly getting better. And she’s a different type of athlete. She’s just a dog. That’s what makes her different.”
Amelia Oliver delivered a complete outing against Pratt for Labette with six kills and 17 assists.
“We had a conversation before the match that if she wanted to lock down her position, she had to score one ball per set,” Kelley said. “She’s really goal-based. So I wanted to give her a goal to look at, see and go get.”
Labette swept Rose State, 3-0 (2518, 25-20, 25-22).
Kelley saw a mode the Cardinals haven’t displayed in years — cruise control.
“We didn’t dominate and it was still the best Rose State team I’ve seen,” Kelley said. “We coasted at times and some of the scores show a lack of urgency. But that’s crazy, because Labette has never been able to coast. I just felt calm during the game. I was telling them that the faster we got done, the faster we could get on the road to get home.”
Rushing again paced Labette with 13 kills. Her 79 kills through six matches rank sixth in the NJCAA.
“Compared to what she normally does, she didn’t even look as good as she can,” Kelley said. “But she pulled a lot of eyes to her, and that gave a lot of other girls other opportunities. She’ll always get her big kills and fire everybody up.”
Jordyn Drayton added 10 kills for the Cardinals. Charlotte Watson had 22 assists while Dayanara Castillo posted 13 digs.
Up next
Labette faced Western Iowa Tech on the road on Thursday before starting a four-game showcase in South Dakota on Friday and Saturday.
“These upcoming games, they’re prepping us for conference play,” Kelley said. “We have to get more comfortable in our system to go out and compete. We have to keep working on our defense and figure out some kinks.”
