Greene County (7-26) overcame a 25-21 loss in the opening set to score a 3-1 win over Perry (7-25) in non-conference volleyball Monday. The Rams responded to the first set defeat to record wins of 25-21, 25-21 and 25-18 to win the match.
Seniors Jo Diw, Syd Guerra, Isabel Saemisch and Sid Vancil were honored before the match for their contributions to the program through their prep careers.
“Jo has been excellent for us, even though the other teams know she is where we are going with the ball, and Isabel has been strong for us in the middle,” Perry head coach John Fulton said. “Syd has been a real leader in the back row for us and done a good job of making sure people are in the right place, and Sid Vancil has been everything we needed and really turned into a great server for us, too.”
Fulton said Monday’s match was simply a case of Perry not being able to sustain scoring runs, chiefly because of unforced errors.
“They did everything I asked of them, but we struggled to find a second offensive option (beside Diw), and that has been the issue all season,” he stated.
Diw had 23 kills, Vancil 11 and Jaqueline Guardado four, with Saemisch and Gabby West adding two kills apiece while West and Adriana Eastman each had a block at the net.
Vancil distributed 25 assists and Diw seven, with Eastman and Guerra tallying two assists apiece and Quinn Whiton one.
Perry was led behind the serving line by Vancil, who finished 21-of-21 with three aces. Saemisch was 11-of-12 with two aces and Diw 9-11-1 while Eastman was 11-of-13. Guerra was 9-of-10, Guardado 5-of-10, Whiton 1-of-3 and Makenzie Ayers 2-of-3.
Megan Durbin had 22 kills and Samantha Hardaway nine to lead the Rams, with Aubrey Heupal making 35 assists and 16 digs. Sophia Havens served 19-21-4, Kaitlyn McColley 18-19-3 and Durbin 19-of-22 to lead the guest behind the stripe.
Perry travels to Harlan (22-12) Wednesday for a Class 4A Region 2 first round match at 7 p.m. The winner advances to face host and sixth-ranked Sergeant Bluff-Luton (38-3) Oct. 24.