Still on pace for the best season in school history, the Labette Cardinals suffered their first true setback on Friday as they split a home tri.
The Cardinals beat Dallas-Cedar Valley, 3-0, before falling to Rose State, a team they had swept earlier this season, 3-0.
“We just didn’t execute. There’s no other way to put it,” Labette first-year head coach Deardin Kelley said. “Rose State took advantage of their opportunities. Our offense struggled to get going. We had a terrible hitting percentage.”
In the win over Dallas, 3-0 (25-8, 2516, 25-20), Labette’s Aubrianna Brown led in kills with 11. Allie Rushing, dealing with shin splints, registered four kills on just six attempts.
Iniya Hinman, the Parsons native, racked up six blocks.
As for the 3-0 (26-24, 25-22, 25-20) loss to Rose State, Rushing was limited to three kills on 19 attempts. Jordyn Drayton and Brown each led Labette with nine kills on 24 attempts apiece.
Labette managed just a .019 kill percentage on 107 attacks.
“I don’t think our hitters were smart with the ball,” Kelley said. “They had no court vision. A team like Dallas that’s weaker, we can be more athletic than them. But with Rose, you can’t be mindless with the ball.”
Hinman again had a good day at the net with five blocks.
“She looked much better. Offensively, she still needs work,” Kelley said. “The day wasn’t on our defense. It was our offense struggling to score. We hadn’t faced that kind of wall yet. Failure promotes growth. But it’s frustrating.”
While Labette went 2-1 over three matches in the week, the Cardinals’ offense lacked some of the firepower it showed in its culture-shifting start to the campaign.
Up next
Labette entered the week 9-5 overall. After facing a pair of JVs on Monday, the Cardinals resume Kansas Jayhawk Conference play on Wednesday with a trip to No. 5 Johnson County.
“I think this is a team we can compete with,” Kelley said. “Johnson always has great recruits. They’re younger this year, but they’re always well-coached. I think it’s crucial for our girls to understand that they can do it.”
