WELLSVILLE — Iola High’s volleyball squad served up a successful start to the 2020 season Saturday.
The Fillies went 2-2 at their season-opening tournament, hosted by Prairie View High School, good for second place overall. (The tournament was split into two locations, with Wellsville chosen as the alternate site.)
“It was a good first showing,” head coach Amanda Strickler-Holman said. “We did lots of good things and displayed some grit at times.”
The Fillies opened the day with a straight-set win over Burlington, 25-16, 25-19.
They prevailed with a balanced attack, featuring six players with at least two kills apiece. Hannah Gardner led the way with four aces; Becca Sprague had six assists.
Iola followed that up with a hard-fought, 25-24, 18-25, 25-19 win over Waverly.
Sprague led the way with four aces and 12 digs. She also notched eight kills, sharing team-high honors with Lauryn Holloway. Ally Ellis earned 12 assists.
The road got a bit tougher against eventual tournament champion Wellsville.
Iola fell, 25-14, 25-11 in their first matchup. Holloway had two aces, while Sprague had four kills and 10 digs. Gardner had a scintillating receive passing average, Strickler said, at 2.62.
Wellsville picked up another win over the Fillies in the championship round, albeit a tightly fought match throughout, 25-22, 25-18.
Sprague and Holloway each had four kills. Ellis led with five assists.
“The preseason tournament was a good start to the season and showed us what we need to work on before our home tournament,” Strickler-Holman said. “The seniors have put in the work the past four years and are excited for what they can do for this season.”
THE FILLIES junior varsity competed in a home tournament Saturday as well.
Iola’s JV fell to Humboldt, 25-12, 25-14, 15-7; to Girard, 25-8, 25-20, 15-2; and to Anderson County, 25-7, 25-15.
Iola returns to action Sept. 12, with the varsity taking part in the Iola Invitational Tournament, and the ninth-graders competing at a tournament at Prairie View.
