McClain volleyball loses to Chillicothe in 4 sets

It was senior night last Thursday, Sept. 28 when the McClain varsity volleyball team hosted Frontier Athletic Conference rival Chillicothe.

The Lady Tigers played impressively in the opening set and won convincingly by a 25-13 score, with lots of outstanding play by their front line and back row players. Also, Maddy Giffin, Brenna Wright, and Lily Barnes all served the ball really well to help in the win.

But things quickly seemed to unravel after that, and the Lady Cavaliers took the next three sets by 20-25, 18-25 and 18-25 scores and won the match, 3-1.

“We just didn’t make the necessary chances we needed to in those last three sets that would help us stay ahead after that first-set win,” McClain head coach Taylor Alsop said. “I think we went away from what helped us win that first game, and we just needed to make some better adjustments.

“In that third set we really missed a lot of serves, and that really hurt us because we only lost by a couple of points. We just need to minimize our mistakes every single set.”

Three talented seniors — Lily Barnes, Harley Peabody and Reagan Wisecup — were honored before the game and recognized for their leadership and dedication to the McClain volleyball program over the last four years.

“I’ve been here with these three seniors for their entire varsity careers,” said Alsop. “I’ve had Lily (Barnes) playing varsity for me all four years. She started out as a setter halfway through her freshman year and really took off after that.

“I really didn’t want her to be a setter, I wanted her to be a hitter but after we talked about it and made some adjustments, she has done a great job for me. It’s going to be really tough for us losing the leadership she brings to our team, and our younger girls really look up to her.

“Reagan Wisecup has really worked hard this year, and she’s come out of her shell this year and played amazingly for us,” Alsop continued. “Everything that she’s accomplished and worked hard for really shows. She never gets down on herself or the team and always stays positive, which is always great to see.

“Harley Peabody has been on the varsity for two years and she’s one of our passers, and she’s been a heck of a player who can make adjustments quickly where she needs to. It’s been such a blessing to have these three girls who are always positive never getting down, and it’s very rare to find three seniors who can motivate and encourage your younger players like they can. They will all be greatly missed.”

McClain plays next at Washington on Tuesday, Oct. 3, then travels to Hillsboro on Thursday, Oct. 5.

Stat leaders for McClain:

• Serving-Lily Barnes 14-17, 4 aces, Kylea Toney 12-14, 3 aces, Harley Peabody 8-8, 1 ace.

• Serving receptions: Katie Cook 23-28, Maddy Giffin 19-20, Harley Peabody 12-13.

• Attacks: Kylea Toney 14 kills, Anna Eikenberry 12 kills, Brenna Wright 9 kills.

• Katie Cook 12 digs, Lily Barnes 12 digs, Maddy Giffin 11 digs, Lily Barnes 31 assists.