THS KVL Results

Benton Smith

Tonganoxie High senior Danielle Miller tries to find some space to operate against Bishop Ward on Saturday at the Kaw Valley League Tournament in Bonner Springs. THS went 4-1 at the tourney and finished third.

Pool play

Basehor-Linwood, W 25-18, 25-11

Bonner Springs, W 25-12, 25-19

Bishop Ward, W 26-24, 25-18

Semifinal

Benton Smith

Brooklyn Kerbaugh and Kailan Kuzmic go up to block a Bishop Ward attack on Saturday at the Kaw Valley League Tournament in Bonner Springs. The Chieftains defeated the Cyclones in pool play and in the third-place match.

Mill Valley, L 25-22, 25-22

Third-place match

Bishop Ward, W 25-17, 25-20

Bonner Springs ? With championship match aspirations dashed, the Tonganoxie High volleyball team left the Kaw Valley League Tournament disappointed with its third-place finish Saturday.

The Chieftains arrived at Bonner Springs expecting not only to win their pool and earn a spot in the KVL final against Lansing but also win a league title.

THS only accomplished the first of those three goals thanks to a 25-22, 25-22 loss to Mill Valley in a semifinal.

The Chieftains settled for third place and ended the day by defeating Bishop Ward in straight games, 25-17, 25-20, but they certainly weren’t excited about the outcome.

“We were coming in here to win a league title,” Tonganoxie co-coach Brandon Parker said, “but we didn’t play the semifinals like a team that wanted to win a league title.”

The loss to Mill Valley also was discouraging for THS (28-10) because it defeated the Jaguars less than three weeks ago at a home triangular.

Both semifinal games with MVHS were tight but Tonganoxie couldn’t get over the hump. The Chieftains were down 20-17 in the first game before a few key plays — a Jenny Whitledge kill, Danielle Miller ace and Molly O’Hagan dig — led them to a 22-22 tie, but Mill Valley scored the next three points to win.

THS led 14-13 in the second game before the Jags closed the match with a 12-8 run. In that last stretch, Tonganoxie stayed close with a block by Brooklyn Kerbaugh, two kills apiece from O’Hagan and Whitledge and a Sagan Scates ace.

The Chieftains knocked off Bishop Ward for the second time Saturday in the third-place match with consistent play at the net from Kailan Kuzmic, Kerbaugh, Whitledge and O’Hagan.

At 7 p.m. Tuesday, Tonganoxie will be back at Bonner Springs for a dual with the Braves.

Then comes sub-state, to which THS will play host, beginning at 1 p.m. next Saturday.