Sacred Heart Gremlins faced Sweet Springs in the semifinal match of the District tournament. The Gremlins swept the Greyhounds in two winning 25-16 and 25-13.
The Gremlins then faced Santa Fe Chiefs in the final round of the district tournament. In the first set, the Gremlins got an early lead, but after a timeout from Sante Fe, the chiefs went on a run bringing the game close. The Chiefs managed to close the gap, but the Gremlins did not give up the lead and ended up winning the first set, 25-21.
The second set of the Championship game started just like the first, but with the Chiefs taking an early lead. The Gremlins were down, but they slowly managed to close the scoring gap by limiting Santa Fe’s runs late in the second set. The gremlins were finally able to tie the set at 16-16 and then took the lead. After the Gremlins took the lead, each team went point for point with the Chiefs tying the game at 19-19. A kill from Zoe Volcko, assisted by Kylie Beykirch allow the Gremlins to take the game to 23-20 and Sante Fe’s big hitter Carrigan Smith answered back with a kill followed by an Ace from the Chiefs.
With the game being 22-23, the game could go either way. The Chiefs had another attack from Smith, where Kylie Beykirch made a big dig that allowed Madison McClain to set Zoe Volcko for the kill. The Gremlins were serving for game point at 24-22. The Sante Fe Chiefs, being the strong team that they are, answered back with another kill from Smith and then a kill block from Sante Fe, the game was now tied 24-24. Just as the Chiefs began their run, Madison McClain found a hole in the Chiefs defense and gave the Gremlins the lead once again. The Chiefs tied the set once again with a tip. The Gremlins and Chiefs went point for point up until the final point. The gremlins were serving for game point at 27-26 where Madison McClain finished off the final set with an attack and a block the brought the Gremlins to Victory over the Sante Fe Chiefs with the final score 28-26.
Both Santa Fe and Sacred Heart played very hard in this Championship game and fought for every single point. The Gremlins are the 2018 District 13 Champions and hosted the Sectional and Quarterfinal games on Saturday, October 27.
Sectionals were broadcasted on kmmo.com:
- To access the internet feed, go to the
- KMMO home page at www.kmmo.com
- Click on the upper right-hand corner where it says
- ‘Click Here For Live Sports
Game Stats:
- Madison McClain finished the match with 11 kills, five digs, two blocks, and six assists
- Zoe Volcko had 12 kills, two aces, nine digs, and three blocks
- Kylie Beykirch had 14 assists, four digs
- Grace Goodwin had nine digs
A special thanks to Rita Mergen and Jen Volcko for the photos.
