The Perry volleyball team finished with a 2-2 mark at their own tournament Thursday, ending play with a 2-1 win over a solid Roland-Story squad.
Perry (5-20) had opened with a 21-6, 21-8 win over Saydel (3-15), but had then dropped a 21-9, 21-18 decision to Ballard (15-9) and a 21-10, 21-18 match to Woodward-Granger (18-11).
The Jayettes won the first set with the Norsemen (20-8) by a narrow 21-19 margin, but then suffered a 21-9 loss in the second set. Undeterred, the hosts fought hard and looked sharp in claiming the match with a 15-12 third-set win against a much taller R-S team.
“We just started passing better,” Perry head coach John Fulton said. “I told them after the game that we can do amazing things when we pass the ball well. We have some offense and can play some scrappy defense. People are going to be taller than us every single game, but if we can pass well we can compete with anybody, which is our goal.”
Another key, Fulton said, was sharp serving.
“Our serving was better (against R-S) and we stayed aggressive and kept them out of system,” he said. “We played with confidence, and confidence breeds confidence, which breeds confidence …”
Sid Vancil sparkled behind the serving line, finishing a combined 32-of-32 with four aces. Syd Guerra was 25-27-5 and Jaqueline Guardado 20-24-1 while Jo Diw was 17-23-6. Gabby West finished 10-13-2 and Adriana Eastman 10-10-2, with Quinn Whiton 6-of-7, Mackenzie Ayers 5-of-5 and Kacy Nevitt 2-of-2.
Diw had a strong tourney at the net, tallying 42 kills. Isabel Saemisch had six kills, Eastman and Guardado five apiece, West four, Vancil three and Whiton two. Vancil had 52 of Perry’s 59 assists, with West making three blocks and Diw and Guardado two each.
Guerra’s 21 digs were a team high, with Diw making 15 digs, Magley Orellana seven and Vancil five. Guardado recorded three digs, and Eastman and Whiton two apiece.
Ballard finished the tourney 4-0, with W-G 3-1, R-S 1-3 and Saydel 0-4.
Perry plays a rare Monday match at Carlisle and is then off until competing in the Knoxville Invitational Oct. 14. A visit from Greene County Oct. 16 will conclude the regular season, with the Jayettes traveling Oct. 18 to Harlan for a Class 4A Region 2 First Round contest.
