Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
GLEN CARBON - Roxana went on two long scoring runs in each set, and bounced back nicely from a tough three-set loss the night before to defeat Father McGivneyCatholic 25-14, 25-14 in a girls volleyball match Tuesday night at the McGivney gym.
The Shells had lost the night before at home to Staunton in a South Central Conference match, but Roxana still bounced back nicely to take the win.
"It was a lot better than last night's game three against Staunton," said Shells' head coach Mike McKinney. "We had a little more energy, we spread the ball around, the girls were excited, and they wanted to come back and prove that yesterday, the last game, it wasn't the best effort. But tonight they came out and took control of the game, even though we had some lulls in the game, I think we pretty much controlled the speed of the game, and obviously, we ended up winning, so we did something right."
McKinney felt that his team bounced back very well from the night before, and are on their way to accomplish their weekly goal.
"Well, here's the thing: Our goal each week is to have a winning week," McKinney said, "and we knew that since we that the game didn't go our way last night, it was a tough loss, we needed to come back tonight. The girls were enthusiastic, in the warmups, they were all pumped up and like 'hey, we're going to get number six here tonight.' I think the fact that they don't want to have a losing week all year is what's driving them right now."
Of course, McKinney and his players are very happy and grateful to be playing their season after so much uncertainty about if it would even be played, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Yeah, without a doubt," McKinney said. "Two months ago, we were, like, in limbo, we're like, 'man, this is really going to be a bummer for all these seniors,' because these seniors have been playing since the fourth grade. We've got a great group of kids all the way down, but the senior class, I wanted them to be able to have the opportunity to finish strong, even if we don't have postseason. We tried to schedule as many games as we could, because this is their last hurrah, and I want them to go out with a bang."
So far, so good for the Shells, who are now 6-2 on the season, with both losses to exceptional teams.
"Yeah, we're 6-2," McKinney said. "The two losses to Freeburg, a very, very strong team, and Staunton, a very good team. So, we haven't lost to somebody that's mediocre. Those two teams, as far as I know, are both undefeated still."
Griffins head coach Paul Vieth is very happy to see how things are going with a young team that's still developing as they go along, and also gave much credit to the Shells for their effort on the night.
"Absolutely," Vieth said. "They had a great team out there. I'm very happy with how our team is developing and improving. We have a very young team, led by a very impactful senior group. They're very passionate, and they're doing a great job in helping these young players develop. Something we kind of talked about after the game. During these times, where we're packing in a 19-game schedule in such a short period, every time we hit the court, we're looking for areas to improve. So prior to this match, we worked on serve-receive. We did a great job on doing that; we were just talking about that at the end of the game. We identified some other areas that we needed to improve other than that. Pressing blocks, transitioning, things like that. Roxana did a great job attacking, and we needed to do a better job of counteracting that. So, we'll get into the gym tomorrow, and work on those areas, and get ready for our next (Prairie State) conference game."
Vieth shared McKinney and everyone else's sentiments about being able to play their season, despite the problems caused by the pandemic.
"Oh, absolutely," Vieth said. "The girls here, especially at Father McGivney, are dedicated to play multiple sports, being in different activities. So, this school does a great job in keeping the kids engaged in those sort of things. But being able to get my basketball girls, especially, back on the volleyball court. It's a short turnaround, and they're doing a great job transitioning into those new roles, and we're all blessed to definitely be back out on the court."
The two team started the opening set by trading points, going up until the score was 5-5, when Roxana's Makenzie Keller served up the next five points in a row to give the Shells a 10-5 lead, forcing a Griffin time out. When play resumed, Keller served up two more points to make it 12-5 before the Griffins got the ball back. The teams exchanged points again to make the score 17-11 before Macie Lucas served up three straight points to put Roxana further in front 20-11, with the Griffins using their last time out of the set. Lilly Daughtery had a nice tip shot go in to advance the lead to 21-11 before McGivney got the ball back at 21-12. Another exchange of points occurred to make it 23-14 before an Olivia Mouser kill and a tip shot from C.J. Ross gave the Shells the first set win 25-14.
The Shells jumped out to an early 5-1 second set lead, thanks to the service of Mouser and a pair of Lucas kills, causing another time out from McGivney. Lucas and Daughtery then combined on a block to make it 6-1, and an exchange of points made it 7-2 for Roxana. The Shells then scored three of the next four points to go further ahead 10-3, and a further exchange brought the score to 13-5. Keller served up the next two points for the Shells, while Bailey Washam did likewise for the Griffins to make it 15-7. After Roxana got the ball back following an exchange that make it 17-8, Darcey McGuire served up three points in a row, aided by an ace and a Lucas kill to make it 20-8. The teams exchanged points again to make it 21-9, and Emma Bukovac served up back-to-back points to bring the Griffins back to within 21-11. The Shells then scored four of the set's last seven points, with a violation called against McGivney giving the set and the match to the Shells 25-14.
The Shells, as mentioned, are now 6-2, and go on the road again against Breese Mater Dei Catholic tonight, then have upcoming South Central Conference matches, starting with a trip to Carlinville on Thursday, and next week face Pana, O'Fallon and Civic Memorial in some very tough matches. McKinney feels that the his team's highly competitive schedule will help the team in the long run.
"We loaded up the schedule for the purpose of challenging our girls," McKinney said, "and so far, they've risen to the challenge. Last Friday, when we beat Mascoutah, that was a big win for our program. And we're 6-2 now, and we're trying to go for seven tomorrow. I'm having fun, and I'm glad that we're able to play."
The Griffins are now 1-3 for the year, and are on the road in a PSC match at Nokomis on Thursday, then hosting Metro-East Lutheran on Friday before traveling to East Alton-Wood River next Tuesday and hosting Marquette Catholic next Wednesday. Vieth is looking forward to seeing his young team keep growing and heading in the right direction.
"Just continuing to grow young players, and develop them," Vieth said. "Our seniors are going to continue to provide great leadership, and transfer that on to them as well. And we're going to fight until we continue to improve each and every skill, so we can compete with everybody on our schedule."
Vieth is seeing a bright future ahead for the Griffins.
"We have a great, young freshman class, sophomore class that's coming up," Vieth said. "They're getting more and more involved in volleyball activities outside of school, and every touch you can get is going to help you improve. And they have the right attitude. They definitely want to be a part of the program, and do their very best. So, that's all I can ask, and I'm very excited for the classes to come."
Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
