The Paton-Churdan volleyball team closed out its 2015 season with a loss in the first round of Class 1A Region 4 play to Adair-Casey in Adair Oct. 20. Scores were 12-25, 24-26, 23-25.
“A great deal of our slow start in the first set seemed to be due to slow reactions to plays and a lack of movement in defense. Some unusual calls by the referees also affected the girls mentally,” coach Hannah Boehmer said.
“In the second set we gained back a lot of our confidence and aggressiveness. The front row did a great job shutting them down with blocks as well. Carleigh (Paup) and Megan (Carey) especially had great nights at the net, finishing with five and four blocks respectively. In the beginning of the third set our offense was really clicking and we were playing together. Syndey (Koch) had a great night offensively; AC wasn’t able to handle her. As AC began to work their way back in I think the girls started to play it safe and mentally fell apart,” the coach said.
Jenna Beyers was 10 for 10 serving and Carey was 15 of 17. Koch was eight of nine with an ace and Paup and Mariah Tasler were both seven of eight. Paup led the team in aces with two.
Koch had 18 kills and 27 digs for the night. Paup had one kill, seven digs and 12 assists. Beyers added 15 digs and four kills to her perfect serving. Grace Geisler had 10 digs and three kills, and Carey had eight digs and two kills. Maria Tasler had six digs.
“The girls showed a tremendous amount of growth over the season. We are still a very young team with over half our starters either sophomores or freshman. Seeing where we were able to get to makes me excited to see what the girls are able to accomplish next season,” Boehmer said. “Two huge impact players are our seniors and they led our team on and off the court, helping to give our young team a lot of direction and motivation. They will be greatly missed, but have left a lasting impact on the program.”
