By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
No volleyball team makes it to 40-0 without some dominance. But Ellinwood has exceeded even that measure, going three sets just three times this season with a pair of wins against 3-time defending 1A, Div. I champion Little River, and a win against a ranked Hoisington (3A) team.
Monday evening, the Lady Eagles inched closer to a perfect season with a trio of 2-0 wins against Hutchinson Trinity, Wichita County, and Stanton County to secure a regional title. Ellinwood advances to sub-state play next weekend.
Ellinwood downed Trinity 25-7, 25-7, then defeated Wichita County 25-1, 25-7. Stanton County entered Monday’s regional bracket as the No. 8 seed, second only to Ellinwood’s No. 1 seed. The Trojans hung around at 8-7 in the first set until Eagle senior Regan Widener took over at serve, putting down four aces as the Ellinwood lead grew to 18-7. The Eagles took the set 25-12.
Sophomore Mette Maxwell opened the second set with a pair of aces to give Ellinwood an early 3-0 advantage. Stanton County was never in the second set, and junior Alyvia Batchman pushed the Eagle lead to 15-3 with a long service. Ellinwood won the set 25-7 to win the regional title.
This year’s Ellinwood squad features just two seniors in Widener and Kyndal Moore. That duo has provided the brunt of the offense this season with 272 and 241 kills entering regionals, respectively. Maxwell is third on the team with 182 kills, and Batchman has 138.
Bird City’s Cheylin High School set a state record with 361 aces in 1991. The Eagles entered Monday night with 274 aces, led by 64 from Maxwell and 62 from Batchman. Sophomore Brynn Widener has 54 on the season, and the two seniors each have 37. Moore has been the dominant force at the net defensively with 51 blocks, followed by 49 from sophomore Ayla Ritchie.
Junior Bennett Jacobs leads the back row with 230 digs, followed by Brynn Widener with 218, Maxwell with 193, and Batchman and sophomore Reagan Wirtz with a combined 299 digs. Maxwell leads the team with 493 assists, followed by 366 from Batchman.