By SCOTT HUNT shunt@chronicle-tribune.com
Aug 23, 2024
Updated
FAIRMOUNT — The first week of the 2024 volleyball season has been a tough one for Madison-Grant as the Argylls have endured a pair of 3-1 setbacks.
It hasn’t been all bad for M-G and Argyll coach Kayla Jump has quickly identified areas that will help her team improve and grow.
There’s one particular aspect at the top of Jump’s list.
“A good word would be consistency,” she said after M-G’s 25-23, 21-25, 25-19, 25-11 loss to Wabash Wednesday night in Fairmount. “Consistency at where we want to be, not consistency at where we are right now. We saw a higher level of play, but it’s not consistent from all of them.”
Jump’s desire was illustrated in the Argylls’ back and forth battle with Wabash.
Madison-Grant held a 21-17 lead in the first set against the Apaches, only to have the visitors finish with an 8-2 flurry to steal away game one.
The Argylls proved to be closers in set two by finishing with an 8-2 run of their own to even the match. M-G’s flurry was highlighted by a pair of kills by junior Camryn Bolser and two service aces by senior Emma Hull.
Wabash scored four of the first five points in the third set and held the lead throughout, but M-G fought hard to stay close and trailed just 17-16. But the Apaches seized control with three-straight points and ended the set with the final three.
Madison-Grant jumped out to a 3-1 lead in set four, but after the match was tied at 7-7, Wabash ran off six-straight points to start a dominant 18-4 finish to close out the match.
“Our serving and serve receive is not doing well at all. They passed a lot of great serve reception passes and they’re good passers, but … we served it right to them where they didn’t hardly have to take a step,” Jump said. “We were not serving tough so it’s easy to do whatever you want when we serve right to them.
“We’re running a different lineup than we’ve really ever ran. Someone is setting (primarily Hull) and she hasn’t set for awhile. We had her as an attack last year,” Jump added. “It’s all a little different just gelling together but our serve and serve reception has not been very good.”
Jump said she was much more please with Madison-Grant’s play on Tuesday during a 25-21, 20-25, 25-22, 25-22 loss to Jay County in the season opener in Fairmount.
Senior Demie Havens had 13 kills, Bolser added 10 and freshman Grace Wood put down nine kills and had six blocks against the Patriots. Bolser and Havens had eight kills apiece and Bolser added five blocks for the Argylls against Wabash.
Madison-Grant has some new faces in its lineup to begin the season to go with an experienced core from last season’s sectional championship team. M-G is also currently playing without senior Johnna Hiatt, who was key hitter in the attack throughout the 2023 season. Jump is unsure when HIatt will be able to return to the lineup.
Hull and senior defensive specialist, Reece Box, along with Havens and Bolser were all key contributors last season, while Wood, juniors Cayleigh Stitt, Kaitley Dickason and senior Lanie Frank have limited varsity experience and are part of Jump’s regular rotation to begin this fall.
With four-straight sectional titles in-tow to start 2024, Madison-Grant still carries high expectations for the current campaign.
“The beginning of the season is all about trying to figure out your gel. Beginning of our season we have some tough matches,” Jump said. “… You are always trying to work through everything at the beginning of the season and I think that’s where we’re at, trying to figure out what fits best for us.
“Honestly, I think they can probably be better than we were last year, but they haven’t figured it all out yet,” she added. “My expectation for them is for them to do their best. When they can’t pull it out of themselves, that’s a problem. We shouldn’t be negative pouters. We’ve got to move on to the next point and want the ball. If we figure that out then it will be a totally different team.”
Madison-Grant hosts defending 2A state champion and potential sectional opponent, Muncie Burris, along with Adams Central and Bluffton on Saturday starting at 9 a.m. in the Argyll Invite.