Tonganoxie volleyball nabs 6th place at home invite
Shawn F. Linenberger
Tonganoxie High volleyball takes on Shawnee Mission Northwest on Saturday during the first match of the Tonganoxie Invitational. THS would go on to take sixth at its home invitational.Tonganoxie volleyball dropped a heartbreaker in its first match Saturday at the Chieftains’ home invitational, but eventually battled back and finished 2-2 in pool play.
That put the squad in the fifth-place match against Eudora. The Chieftains won the first set, 25-22, but Eudora would answer and win the next two sets, 25-16, 25-19 for fifth place.
Tonganoxie came out hot in the first set, but Shawnee Mission Northwest rallied and eventually won, 25-23. The Cougars then needed extra points in Set 2, but won that won as well by 2, 26-24.
De Soto, which swept Tonganoxie earlier this month at Chieftain Arena, swept THS again in the tournament, 25-16, 25-10.
Tonganoxie would get its two victories in the final two matches of pool play. THS breezed by Leavenworth for the second time this season. The Chieftains handled the Pioneers, 25-7, 25-14. Next up was Ottawa, a team Tonganoxie fell just last week in 5 sets at home in Frontier League play.
This time, the Chieftains swept the Cyclones, 25-12, 25-21, in tourney play.
Blue Valley Southwest defeated Shawnee Mission Northwest, 25-14, 25-19, in the championship and Gardner-Edgerton defeated De Soto, 25-19, 25-10, in the third-place match. Ottawa took care of Junction City in the seventh-place match, 25-18, 25-11.
Tonganoxie moved to 14-10 on the season after Saturday’s action. The squad was ranked No. 9 in Class 4A in last week’s coaches’ rankings.
THS faced Baldwin (5-13) on Tuesday in Baldwin after The Mirror’s print deadline. Tonganoxie defeated Baldwin once this season in a triangular Sept. 16 that also included Emporia. THS then has a rematch Thursday against Eudora (14-8) at Chieftain Arena and then hits the road this coming Saturday for a tournament in Ottawa.