The Fillies volleyball team got off to a very strong start in the Iola Invitational on Saturday.
The Fillies’ first opponent was Prairie View and they were able to make quick work of the Buffalos by winning in straight sets, 25-18 and 25-18.
“Prairie View is going to be one of our Pioneer rivals that we see a lot this year,” Iola coach Jeff Fehr said. “I was proud that we were able to come out and take care of business early. We never let them get into it…. We set the tone of how we want to handle them this year.”
Sophomore Piper Moore led Iola in kills by recording five. Senior Sydney Wade was the team’s leader in assists with six.
Fehr was very pleased with his team’s ability to step up around Wade and Moore and create more offensive threats around their leaders.
“I think we were more well-rounded, we didn’t have to just rely on Sydney and Piper,” Fehr said.
Defensively, senior Riley Murray was able to carry over her strong performance from the team’s last tournament at Prairie View and led the Fillies with three blocks.
Iola’s next game was against another league foe with Burlington.
The first set was a tightly contested game between the two squads, but Burlington prevailed 25-23 and they carried that momentum into the second set and won 25-20.
Moore again led the team in kills with 10. Wade had a very well-rounded game with four aces, four kills and six assists.
Burlington went on to be the tournament champion by beating Anderson County in the finals.
Iola’s final match of the day pitted them against Pittsburg, but the Fillies struggled against the Dragons attack.
Pittsburg cruised to a straight-sets victory, 25-11 and 25-16.
Moore finished with six kills in the contest with junior Colbi Riley finishing second with three kills. Wade had eight assists.
The team continues its season on Tuesday when they travel to Burlington for matches beginning at 4:30 p.m. Fehr is excited to see what they can accomplish in league play this season.
“We are just starting building,” Fehr said. “I see us in that third or fourth position in our league and I think we can fight for it.”
Fillies finish 1-2 in Iola Invitational
