Meadow Heights volleyball defeats Oran in District quarterfinal

A best-of-five match doesn’t take that long when the winning side takes the first three sets. That was the case Friday evening for No. 4 Meadow Heights.

Its girls varsity volleyball squad earned a 25-13, 25-13, 25-11 match win over Oran in an MSHAA Class 1 District 3 quarterfinal contest at Zalma High School Oct. 25.

Meadow Heights coach Bailey Kennedy said her squad found a consistent way to relax which led to more scoring chances.

“I think our girls relaxed and got over the fact that it’s postseason, districts,” she said. “They started relaxing and passing well. Our offense was able to run our hitters and we were able to execute when we needed to.”

The Panthers took on top-seeded Advance Monday, Oct. 28.

“I think that as long as we can stay communicating, and we can stay trusting each other and making those smart choices, I think we can play really competitively,” she said.

Statistical leaders

For the Panthers, Jaycee Shelton had 14 kills and three blocks

Maci Long had 18 assists, two kills and three aces.

Kinley Burr contributed five kills while Lyndi Green had four kills.

Kenna Thele collected five kills and a block.

Mandie Kent tallied nine digs and two aces.

Match recap

The first set was tied a few times, including at 5, 9 and 10, but Meadow Heights began pulling away. A combination block from Jaycee Shelton and Maci Long made it 13-10 while a strong kill attempt from Shelton was bumped out of bounds by Oran, extending the lead to 17-10. This prompted an Oran timeout, but only momentarily stopped the hot streak for the Panthers.

When the squads return to action, another block from Shelton pushed the Panthers’ edge to 19-11. From there, Meadow Heights scored six of the set’s final eight points.

Oran tied the second set at 2 and 3. Five of seven points gave Meadow Heights an 8-5 lead. Later, a kill from Long pushed the lead to 11-8, after a long volley. It later was 14-8 and then 18-11. A big dick from Mandie Kent extended the Panthers’ lead to 19-12. Kent sent several successful serves over before a kill by Long set up set point, at 24-13.

In the third set, Meadow Heights built an early 11-5 edge. Oran cut it to four, 12-8, but three straight by the Panthers made it 15-8. A kill from Shelton moved the lead to 19-11 while another kill from Shelton gave the Panthers a 20-11 lead. Kale Cook served the final points as the Panthers ended with a 25-11 win.