Drew Aggus
Special to the Citizen
The Pirates not only won but swept the Grain Valley Spikefest, which took place on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Grain Valley High School.
Platte County went up against the Raytown Bluejays in the first game of pool play. In the first set, the Bluejays kept it close, but the Pirates prevailed 25-22. And in the second set, the Pirates won easily with the final score 25-11.
In the second game of pool play, the Pirates faced the Notre Dame de Sion Storm. Platte County won the first set 25-14. The Storm fought back in the second set, but in the end, the Pirates came out on top 25-21.
And in the final game of pool play, Platte County went up against the Harrisonville Wildcats, whom they also swept. The Pirates edged out the Wildcats in the first set 25-20, and they used that momentum to carry them through the second set, winning 25-15.
Contributed photo
The Platte County volleyball poses with the plaque for winning the Grain Valley Spikefest on Saturday, Oct. 19.
The Pirates finished pool play unblemished and at the top of the tournament’s standings.
In the quarterfinal, they faced the St. Paul Lutheran Saints. Platte County was even more dominant in this game than the previous one, winning the first set 25-15 and the second set 25-18.
Moving on to the semifinal, the Pirates were pitted against St. Michael the Archangel. In the first set, the Guardians came close to ruining the Pirates’ perfect tournament, but Platte County pulled out the win 26-24. And in the second set, the Guardians had no answer for the Pirates, as they lost again 25-19.
The Pirates moved on to the championship match, where they found themselves up against the Rock Bridge Bruins — another team who had yet to lose a set. Unfortunately for the Bruins, the Pirates were about to put an end to their dominance.
The Pirates won the first set 25-17 and the second set 25-18 to cap off a perfect run to the Spikefest and be crowned champions.
In the championship match, Aly Anderson led the Pirates with 12 kills, while Bryn McGehe (14) and Ashley Bell (10) combined for 24 assists. McGehe and Bell also led the team in digs with nine and eight respectively.
The Pirates finished the day 12-0 in sets and 6-0 in games. They haven’t even lost a set since Oct. 7 in a game against Raymore-Peculiar.
Other games
Platte County 2, Grain Valley 0
The Pirates picked up a road victory against the Eagles of Grain Valley on Thursday, Oct. 17.
Platte County won the first set 25-16 and the second set 25-18.
Riley Stehlik led the Pirates with a season-high nine kills, while Bryn McGehe contributed with six of her own. Ashley Bell led the team in assists with 14, and McGehe recorded 12, as well; Bell also served a pair of aces. Presli Firkins had a team-high seven digs, while McGehe, who was all over the place in this game, recorded six.
Platte County 2, Grandview 0
The Pirates closed out the home portion of the schedule and senior night with a quick win against Grandview on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
Platte County won 25-6 and 25-11 against the winless Bulldogs in a Suburban Conference Blue Division showdown. Stats weren’t available by press time.
Up Next
The Pirates pays a visit to the Winnetonka Griffins on Thursday, Oct. 24 for the final league game of the year.
Then, Platte County will head to Kearney for the Class 4 District 16 Tournament. The makeup of the district is mostly new this year, but the Pirates are the defending runners-up in the district, falling to Park Hill.
Platte County (26-5-1) is the No. 3 seed in and will face last-seeded St. Joseph Central (14-14-1) at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 28. The winner moves on to face No. 2-seeded Liberty North at 7 p.m., on Tuesday, Oct. 29 in the semifinals. The other semifinal is No. 1-Liberty against the winer of Kearney/Staley.
The championship game is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 30.