For the second straight week, the Hillsboro volleyball team split its matches at a triangular where prospects for a sweep were high.
This time the Trojans (10-3) were competing Sept. 23 at Halstead (5-13), where they lost to Smoky Valley (5-13), 28-26, 18-25, 23-25, then turned around and beat the host team, 25-18, 22-25, 25-13.
“I was worried about Smoky,” coach Sandy Arnold said. “You just never know which team they’re going to bring.
“That’s the second week in a row we lost a match we shouldn’t have lost,” she added. “I’m not sure what’s wrong right now. You have to play hard the whole time, and we didn’t.”
Neither match counted toward league play, so the Trojans remain in good position with a 1-1 mark.
Hillsboro was scheduled to make the long trip to Hosington for a triangular along with Haven on Tuesday, then will play its first Saturday tournament of the season since the preseason league tournment in early September.
Joining Hillsboro in the eight-school field at the Canton-Galva Invitational are the hosts, plus Moundridge, Hesston, Halstead, Little River, Sunrise Christian Academy and Wichita Homeschool.
“I’m ready for a Saturday (tournament),” Arnold said. “When you’re going through it you almost wish you had a Saturday off, but now we’ve had some off and I’m ready to get going again and see other teams.
“The compeititon is there and it raises the intensity,” she added. “We find out more about where we are and what kind of shape we’re in.”
With only two losses and ranked fourth in Class 2A, perennial power Moundridge will probably come in as the No. 1 seed. The seeding and pool play assignments will be released Wednesday.
Aside from wins, Arnold said she’d like to see her players to remain focused in every match.
“It’s going to be tough no matter who we’re playing,” Arnold said. “I told the girls everybody wants to beat Hillsboro, and so it’s like we’re a target. We’re going to have to be up for everybody because everybody brings their ‘A’ game to us.
