Labette earns two wins over JV on Monday
OVERLAND PARK — Facing the No. 5 Johnson County Cavaliers on the road, the new-look Labette Cardinals fell, 3-0 (25-12, 25-16, 25-20) in their second match of Kansas Jayhawk Conference play on Wednesday.
“We had a game plan and practiced it. But we didn’t show up to finish that gameplan through,” Labette head coach Deardin Kelley said. “We got out there and the moment got away from us. We weren’t swinging down the line. We weren’t attacking zones. Our offense just struggled to get going.”
Johnson County’s attack delivered a blistering .372 hitting percentage with 44 kills and just nine errors on 94 attacks. Labette was limited to .143 on 98 attacks with 29 kills and 15 errors.
“They ran a faster tempo and our blockers struggled to adjust to that,” Kelley said. “That made it harder for us to track the ball.”
Ava Esser led the Cavs with 13 kills. Campbell Chabot had 33 assists while Kennedie Witthaus had 10 digs.
For Labette, Allie Rushing had eight kills on 24 attempts. Iniya Hinman and Jordyn Drayton added five apiece.
Charlotte Watson had 14 assists while Dayanara Castillo had 12 digs.
The Cardinals also had nine service errors.
“This is the moment and sometimes you figure out when you’re not ready,” Kelley said. “That’s when you have to get locked in and find a different gear of focus. When this moment presents itself again, we’ll be ready for it.”
Wednesday’s loss was the most lopsided of the season thus far Labette, a club on pace for the winningest season in school history.
“They have more weapons than we do and they’re a dynasty. We’re figuring everything out for the first time all together. It’s new for the sophomores. So everybody is learning the expectations and going from there.”
Labette beats two JVs on Monday
The Cardinals opened the week with a pair of victories against JV opponents on the road on Monday.
Labette took down St. Mary’s JV, 3-0 (25-17, 25-13, 25-12), and Friends JV, 3-0 (25-12, 25-20, 25-19).
“It was nice to go in there and take care of business. I got to play everybody, which was nice,” Kelley said. “We still didn’t execute as well offensively. We have a lot of ups and a lot of downs as a team.”
Against St. Mary’s, Rushing had seven kills while Aubrianna Brown had six. Watson had 18 assists, Castillo had 11 digs and Hinman registered a season-high eight blocks.
As for the victory over Friends, Brown led Labette with 10 kills. Watson had 24 assists, Olivia Brand and Castillo each had nine digs and Hinman had a pair of blocks.
Up next
Labette, now 11-6 overall and 1-1 in KJCCC play, heads to Cloud County on Saturday for two matches against Southwestern and Cloud County.
The Cardinals then return home on Monday for a date against NEO A&M.
“We don’t have any easy games from here on out,” Kelley said. “We need to be pushed outside of our comfort zone. We had a loss. We’re not losers. They need to get their heads up and go.”
