BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
NICKERSON — No. 7 ranked 3A Hoisington (28-4, 6-2 CKL) swept Hesston, 25-19, 25-18 and Nickerson, 25-11, 25-11 in a pair of Central Kansas League volleyball matches Tuesday. Hesston defeated Nickerson, 25-10, 26-24 in the third match.
Everything you've heard about Hoisington's 6-foot-1 all-stater Sofia Simic is true. Simic's power dominated at the net against Nickerson and she delivered several perfect top spin jump serves for aces.
"Sofia is No. 1 in Kansas with 119 aces," said Hoisington coach Mykela Riedl. "Sofia has a top spin jump serve. I’ve told her if she’s confident in the top spin, I’m confident in the top spin. It is a big weapon. With a high reward serve, there's also high risk."
In the first set against Nickerson, Simic provided 15 point-ending plays, including a 3-point run of ace serves in a 25-11 opening set victory. Teammates Kelsie Maier, Kinley Wilkens, Ellie Crawfod and Addi Hanzlick chipped in with timely winning plays.
"Sofia is a huge player on offense and defense. She's a threat on offense in the front row and a back-row attacker," Riedl said. "She changes up her shots to keep the defense on their toes. We're thrilled to have her on our team. The best part is we have several other strong attackers."
The second set against Nickerson was an instant replay with Simic providing 10 point-ending winners. Once again, Wilkens provided quality play with a trio of consecutive winners. Maier and Hanzlick added winners.
Gabby Reif, Macy Nachtigal and Simic lead in serves received. Crawford, Reif and Simic lead in digs.
"We knew our serve receive and defense had to get better," Riedl said. "We've hit our serve receive and have made big progress there. We practice on improving our reading, movement, and intensity on defense. We have to make big plays on defense if we want to reach our goals."
Ellie Crawford with more than 1,000 assists and Brynn Tarlton share the setting duties.
"We love having two setters," Riedl said. "Ellie does a amazing job at keeping our offense in system even when things are crazy. Ellie is also a strong attacker. Brynn has stepped up and allowed us to have three attackers across the net. Brynn works hard to make herself better."
"It’s fun to watch them play when everything is coming together. We’ve played high quality volleyball. But we’ve also struggled like any team can on a given night. The girls don't know how good they could be. We can be playing our best volleyball when post-season comes around
KVA RANKINGS
3A—1—Beloit 28-4; 2—Nemaha Central 33-4; 3—Halstead 27-1; 4—Wichita Trinity 21-4; 5—Cheney 20-3; 6—Hoisington 28-4; 7—Silver Lake 24-9; 8—Hesston 18-6; 9—Royal Valley 21-6; 10—Girard 27-8
ELLINWOOD—Ellinwood def. Chase, 25-2, 25-2; Ellinwood def. Macksville, 25-9, 25-15; Macksville def. Chase 25-9, 25-11
LA CROSSE—La Crosse def. Central Plains, 25-16, 25-15; Victoria def. Central Plains, 25-29, 25-21; Victoria def. La Crosse, 25-12, 25-20
LINDSBORG—Smoky Valley def. Haven, 25-23, 25-16; Smoky Valley def. Hillsboro, 22-25, 25-20, 28-26; Hillsboro def. Haven, 25-17, 25-15
NESS CITY—Ness City def. St. John, 16-25, 25-29, 25-21; Ness City def. Otis-Bison, 12-25, 25-13, 25-13; Ness City def. Kinsley, 25-18, 25-15; St. John def. Otis-Bison, 25-15, 25-15; Otis-Bison def. Kinsley, 25-22, 25-8
PRATT—Halstead def. Pratt, 25-10, 25-16; Halstead def. Larned, 25-5, 25-11; Pratt def. Larned, 18-25, 25-11, 25-17
SATANTA—Pawnee Heights def. Ashland, 25-16, 21-25, 25-20; Pawnee Heights def. Satanta, 25-21, 25-20
STAFFORD—Skyline def. South Barber, 22-20, 18-25, 25-22; South Barber def. Stafford, 25-22, 25-18; Skyline def. Stafford, 25-8, 25-10
CENTRAL KANSAS
Halstead 7-1 27-1
Hoisington 6-2 28-4
Hesston 6-2 18-6
Hillsboro 5-3 18-8
Pratt 4-4 21-12
Smoky Valley 4-4 17-18
Haven 2-6 12-16
Nickerson 2-6 11-18
Larned 0-8 5-20
