The West Platte volleyball team (5-8-3) has had struggles as of late – only winning one of its last nine matches – but pulled out a fourth-place finish at the Midway Tournament on September 24.
Heading into the tournament with three consecutive losses, the Lady Blue Jays ended pool play with a 0-1-2 record. Benton (7-6) was the first team West Platte had to take on when Libby Vandel’s six kills and Ahlanna Rutherford’s six digs weren’t enough to prevent a 2-0 sweep.
The Lady Blue Jays tied each of their next two matches against Kansas City’s Lutheran (0-11-1) and Midway (5-6-1) since there are only two sets in pool play. Against the Lady Knights, Arianna Nower finished with nine kills, while Vandel ended with eight kills and six digs against the Lady Vikings.
West Platte matched up with Adrian (5-8-1) in the first game of bracket play. Rutherford led the Blue Jays to their first win since September 8 as they took down the Lady Blackhawks in three sets when the senior had 16 digs and three aces.
Once again, West Platte had to take on Benton in the ensuing match and it ended with a similar result. While the Lady Blue Jays won one set in the rematch, they fell in three sets to advance to the third-place match.
Prairie View was too much for West Platte, winning the final match 2-0 and the Lady Blue Jays claimed fourth place. Avery Holmes finished with 10 digs and Maddie McMillan had two aces in the final match.
This was the second tournament of the year for West Platte, who currently posts a 2-3 record in non-tournament matches, most recently falling to Lathrop (14-5) in four sets on September 22. The Lady Blue Jays’ next match with be a home KCI clash with Mid-Buchanan (12-9-1) on September 29.