nov. 9, 2016
Volleyball team hoping for third state championship Grace Lady
staff writer
The varsity volleyball team defeated Blythewood Nov. 8 at the Lowerstate Championships. The Warriors won in three sets. This win puts Wando through to the State Championship on Nov. 12 in Columbia against Dorman High School. Everyone in the warm gym feels the weight of the game, but no one feels it more than the six girls on the court. None of varsity volleyball players cracked under that pressure Nov. 3, when they pulled out a win against River Bluff in the third round of the playoffs to move on to the Lower State championship. The game was played Nov. 8 after Tribal Tribune had gone to press. The Warriors lost the first set of the game, 24-26. The errors that led to this first loss put Coach Alexis Glover slightly on edge. “It was interesting in this match because we made the same three errors in a row that we did against Lexington,” Coach Alexis Glover said. “Honestly that’s just not how we start. We usually start pretty strong.” After a slow start the girls won the next
three sets, 25-18, 25-17, 25-15, to capture the win. “I knew we had it at the beginning of the second set, once we started turning it on,” freshman Ali Clare Jahn said. Some key players in Thursday’s game include senior Sydney DeJong, junior Brooke Medders, Majewski, and sophomore Sarah Missroon. DeJong had 11 kills, Medders had 26 digs and Majewski 36 assists. Missroon, Jacques and DeJong had seven blocks. Glover was especially impressed with Missroon, a young rightside hitter, who stepped up against River Bluff. “She’s a 10th grader, and she had seven blocks last night, so that’s huge,” Glover said, “Getting that kind of work out of that kid at that position, is icing for us. We expect a block or two, not seven.” Looking forward to Lower State, Glover hopes to overcome some of the errors the team has been making, but is proud of the team for
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Lucy Johnson// photo
Girls ready to take state
tribal sports
Sophomore Natalie Bond and junior Paige Scharling sub in during their match against River Bluff on Nov. 3. The team is playing Dorman Nov. 12 in Columbia.
overcoming numerous obstacles this season. Multiple injuries to players such as junior starter Lexi Hellberg and freshman Grae Gosnell have hindered the team.
“It’s been a tough year for us, but I think the kids have really pulled together and have really made the best of it and persevered and I think that’s what it’s all about,” Glover said.
Cross country boys and girls finish in top four After winning Lower State titles a week earlier, both cross country teams were shooting for state trophies at the AAAAA championships on Nov. 5. But the season ended with top four finishes instead, with the boys taking second in the state and the girls bringing home fourth. The boys were undefeated in South Carolina, having just one loss to a nationally-ranked team in North Carolina. The girls have also had a dominating season and were one of the top-ranked teams going into State on Saturday. The boys finished in second place with 110 points for the AAAAA championship behind Riverside. Junior Patrick Spychalski came in second individually. “We talked during the race and made sure to secure the top two spots. I wanted to get first, but you can’t complain about second,” he said. “It was bittersweet to finish second,” varsity boys’ Coach Bret Davis said. “All year we had been number one in South Carolina and to
Margaret O’Neil// photo Coach Brett Davis leads the boys’ cross country team during practice to prepare for State.
come up short is tough when the ultimate goal is to win. [But] finishing second is nothing to hang your head about and we had some great individual performances.” Spychalski and senior Bradley Sanders both finished as All State runners. Sanders and
senior Riley Goldberg were even selected to compete in the Shrine Bowl Run on Dec. 17, composed of South Carolina’s best seniors. Eighth grader Doug Carson ran well enough at state to earn him the spot as the best eighth grader in South Carolina and the ninth
best in the nation. The girls came in fourth with a total of 161 points behind Riverside, Dorman and Dutch Fork. Sophomore Lily Heinold came in 14th place and earned All State honors herself. The girls even had one of their own middle school phenoms, seventh grader Piper Barnhart, finish 25th overall. “It was a rebuilding year last year but this one was such a turnaround. The time tells and you can see their times have gone down,” Coach Johnson said. Both teams will be bringing back many talented runners next year and should both be loaded up to perform to the level they know so well. “We are certainly built to bring it home next year,” Davis said. “The more miles we put between ourselves and Columbia, the more the wounds healed.” --Ben Lawson