News Progress

•November 16, 2016•

Kirk Whitaker
NP Sports

After last season’s 91-15 dismantling at the hands of Teutopolis, the Redskins’ season opening victory over the Shoes just the season before felt like an eternity ago.

This season, the result was the same, only not near as much of a beating.

The Wooden Shoes took a 10-1 lead out of the gate, a 25-5 advantage after a quarter, and ultimately take the season opener 78-35.

Sullivan still had several bright spots while taking on the defending second place team in the state tournament from a season ago who is returning three of its starters.

Esther Miller was responsible for all five of the Redskins’ first quarter points and would finish with nine on the night, sinking a free throw, and two layups--one off a steal going coast-to-coast and the other off an inbounds play--but it was Addison Darush who took the rest of the night.  Read More

•November 9, 2016•

Kirk Whitaker
NP Sports

There were no magical three-set triumphs this time around.

In a sectional also comprised of powerhouses St. Thomas More and St. Joseph-Ogden, Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond drew Tri-Valley, a team with two losses on the season, one of which came at the hands of SJO.

The Vikings sported arguably the most menacing hitter of the whole sectional in 6’2” junior Hannah Clayton, along with a couple other players taller than anyone on the Knights’ roster, but the Knights made things interesting.

It looked as if beating would have been a more descriptive word in the beginning.

Clayton gave the Vikings their first point after Abby Foreman downed a kill, and the match was even up until the five point mark.

After that, things got a little carried away.  Read More

•November 2, 2016•

Kirk Whitaker
NP Sports

Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond’s first regional as a school--and five years to the day of their last volleyball regional crown--came by the skin of their teeth.

Both Tuesday and Thursday the Knights went up against teams with tall, powerful hitters, needing sets with more than 25 points to decide them, but behind the strength of familiar faces, the Knights  topped both Oakwood Fithian (25-14, 27-25, 31-29) and Tri-County(19-25, 26-24, 25-23)--in the fifth meeting of the year between the schools--move on to the Argenta Sectional to take on top-ranked Tri-Valley, who beat Maroa-Forsyth in the Decatur St. Teresa Regional.

The Knights’ first set drubbing of Oakwood (25-14) Tuesday was more than their other three margins of victory combined (11 compared to six).

The last two sets in both games were hectic in an electric home atmosphere to say the least.  Read More

•October 26, 2016•

Kirk Whitaker
NP Sports

Last Thursday, Okaw Valley fell to Cerro Gordo on the Broncos’ senior night 25-21 each set.

Both sets saw the Timberwolves mount comebacks and tie the set late--at 19 in the first and 21 in the second--but it was to no avail, as hitting errors did them in both nights.

Fast forward to the Oct. 24 Regional contest in Bethany, and it was more of the same.

The ‘Wolves tied the first late and were as close as two but couldn’t finish the job, falling 25-22. Read More