The Sentinel

SJO volleyball drops road match, gears up for grueling week ahead

St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball drops first match of the season 25-13, 25-17. Emma McKinney leads with six digs. Home opener vs. Mahomet-Seymour on Sept. 2.

BISMARCK - The St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball team continued its early-season road swing on Thursday, falling in straight sets to Bismarck-Henning, 25-19, 25-16.

SJO SPORTS Emerson Williams paced the Spartans with four kills and six assists, while setter Emma McKinney dished out 11 assists to go with two kills. Ally Schmitz contributed two kills and three digs, and both Hadley McDonald and Addi Childers added two kills apiece. Childers also led the blocking effort with two at the net.

Defensively, libero Katie Ericksen anchored the back row with 11 digs. Despite the effort, SJO (0-2) mustered only seven kills in each set and couldn’t find the consistency to extend the match.

The Spartans face a demanding schedule next week, starting Saturday with a matchup at Mahomet-Seymour. The Bulldogs, last year’s Class 3A state champions, also visit SJO for the Spartans’ home opener on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Main Gym.

From there, Williams and company hit the road again, traveling to Armstrong-Potomac on Wednesday before heading to Teutopolis on Thursday. The week wraps up with a trip to the Mattoon Volleyball Tournament on Saturday.

Bismarck-Henning (1-1), which lost its opener to Unity, heads to Danville on Tuesday before hosting Villa Grove on Thursday.

Match Leaders – SJO at Bismarck-Henning

Emerson Williams: 4 kills, 6 assists
Emma McKinney: 11 assists, 2 kills
Ally Schmitz: 2 kills, 3 digs
Hadley McDonald: 2 kills
Addi Childers: 2 kills, 2 blocks
Katie Ericksen: 11 digs

TAGS: St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball 2025 schedule,SJO vs Bismarck-Henning volleyball recap, Mahomet-Seymour vs St. Joseph-Ogden volleyball preview, Spartan athletics volleyball coverage

St. Joseph-Ogden Volleyball 2025 Results

Date	Opponent	Location	Result	Score	Record
Aug. 26	@ Maroa-Forsyth	Road	L	13-25, 17-25	0-1
Aug. 28	@ Bismarck-Henning	Road	L	19-25, 16-25	0-2

Prairie Central rallies past Herscher in three-set battle

Hawks flipped last year’s script, beating Herscher 2-1 behind balanced play and tough serving

FAIRBURY - What a difference a year makes. In the 2024 season opener, Herscher handed Prairie Central its third straight loss. This time, the Hawks flipped the script, pulling out a three-set victory Thursday night over the visiting Tigers to improve to 2-1 on the season.

Prairie Central dropped the opening set 23-25, but showed composure under pressure to even the match with a 25-23 win in the second. The Hawks then dominated the deciding set, cruising to a 25-9 finish.

"There was a very long delay tonight and the girls did a great job of pushing through it and finishing out the set for the match win," said head coach Kirsten Smith. "It was definitely a late home match but it was worth it in the end. I am so proud of these girls."

Balance proved to be the difference. Outside hitter Miranda Hari turned in a standout all-around performance with 12 kills, 12 digs, nine service points and three aces. Setter Kyah Creek directed the offense with 22 assists and added seven kills. At the net, Mia Elliott contributed three assisted blocks while scoring 12 service points and four aces. Defensively, libero Paige Young anchored the back row with 18 digs as the Hawks’ coverage frustrated Herscher in the final two sets.

"The girls played as a unit so well tonight and definitely gave their solid effort," Smith added. "Our setter, Kyah Creek, did a great job at seeing both sides of the court and knowing when to tip."

The Hawks are off to a stronger start than last year, when they finished 15-22 and seventh in the Illini Prairie Conference. They will next test their progress at the Livingston County Tournament on Saturday.

Earlier, Prairie Central's sophomore squad lost in straight sets 25-15, 25-20. The freshman squad also took down their opponents after third-set rally, winning 25-22, 24-26, 16-14.

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