Lady Broncos fall to Roughriders

Nothing comes easy on the court in the Republican Plains Activities Conference this season and it was confirmed Sept. 14 when Southwest came to Wauneta-Palisade for volleyball matches.
    Broncos’ Head Coach Katie Lawless said the conference is extremely competitive this year and she finds that really exciting.
    “Southwest is a really solid team and very comparable to Alma and Cambridge in the tempo they play and using their big hitter as much as possible,” Lawless said, adding she was excited with how WP competed with them. Each of the schools is ranked in the Class D1 top 10. Maywood/Hayes Center and Bertrand are ranked in the Class D2 top 10.
    WP fell to the 9-3 Roughriders in four sets.
    The teams played an extremely competitive first set. Neither team held more than a three-point lead. WP led 20-18, but had to hold off a set point before tying the game at 24. Southwest scored the last two points to take the set.
    WP trailed early in the second set, but never looked back after taking an 8-6 lead. GraCee Goings closed out the set with four-straight serves.
    The Broncos erased a 9-13 deficit in the third set to take a one-point lead, 14-13. The set was tied at 18 before Southwest pulled away down the stretch for 25-21 win.
    The Roughriders ran away with set four, 25-17. WP struggled to string together any serving runs in the set.
    “We just stopped being as aggressive in the fourth set but overall we felt like our kids played well and saw a lot of positive steps for us,” Lawless said.
    “We need to be able to finish big games and that just comes down to our mental game and staying aggressive which is where we are focusing a lot of our time,” she added.
     Alexa Sandman led the Broncos with 13 kills. Peyton Cox and Cali Cox each had 10 kills.
    Sandman also had four aces in the match.
Up next
    Lawless said the next three weeks will be fast and furious with a lot of competitive games.
    WP took part in the four-team Paxton Tournament Tuesday this week. The Broncos played Potter-Dix to open the tournament.
    Saturday, the WP will be at the Brady Tournament. Tournament games will begin at 9 a.m. CT. WP, the top seed, will take on Brady in north gym’s second game. Games in the north gym will be streamed on the Brady YouTube channel.
    WP will host 0-12 Dundy County Stratton next Tuesday for Senior Night. Matches will begin at 4 p.m. MT.
    “Our schedule is really tough with there being so many solid teams in the area so we’re excited to get started and hope play really consistent this week,” Lawless said.
    Upcoming games include 12-1 MHC, 9-4 Perkins County, 12-4 Garden County and 9-3 Sumner-Eddyville-Miller.
    WP will work on playing consistently so it can finish the season strong, Lawless said, adding that she feels like her team is getting closer to that.
    “We have to start finishing big games and not being so scared to make mistakes. The kids are doing great and working hard so we’re excited to see what they can accomplish,” she said.