The lady Indian volleyball team had a Hays Triangular on Sept. 16 against Great Bend and Manhattan, who put up some difficult competition for the squad. Hays fought hard but were defeated by both teams, 0-2.
The girls came back two days later on Sept. 19 during the Hays Quad, where they played Garden City, Pratt and Ulysses. The turnout for the lady Indians was 2-1, where they only lost to Pratt.
After a short break, Hays hosted another triangular on Sept. 25. The girls went 2-0 against Chapman and Phillipsburg.
“Our team doesn’t take losses very lightly; we have this unsatisfied feeling that we carry,” senior Zoe Winter said. “However, we always bounce back and reconnect with each other to regain our confidence to prepare us for our next match.”
Hays High School’s girls tennis team played in a tournament in Dodge City on Sept. 16, where the girls played against some competitive schools.
Senior Delia Dixon placed eighth in No. 1 Singles, and senior Ani McClure placed ninth in No. 2 Singles. Senior Mya Ploutz and senior Emersyn Sander placed ninth in No. 1 Doubles, and senior Savannah Clingan and senior Brynn Zweifel placed 13th in No. 2 Doubles.
The lady Indians hosted their varsity home meet on Sept. 20, where several players medaled.
Playing singles, sophomore An Li placed first, senior Ani McClure placed third, junior Dakota Maier placed fourth and senior Melissa Boland placed fifth.
Playing doubles, junior Adalie Kippes and sophomore Jenna Schmeidler placed second, Ploutz and Sander placed third, Clingan and Dixon placed fourth and senior Jadyn Younger and Zweifel placed fifth.
“I’m really proud of how hard we fought during the match, and I’m excited to keep building on that energy for the rest of the season,” Kippes said.
Cross country hosted a home meet on Sept. 18, where the Hays girls team had two runners in the Top 10.
Sophomore Avrie Branaman placed fifth with a time of 21:10:19, and sophomore Alexa Cooley placed ninth with a time of 21:55:50.
“I’m really looking forward to competing at WAC [Western Athletic Conference] and regionals this year,” Branaman said.
Girls golf played in Salina on Sept. 22 for Salina South’s Invitational. Thirteen schools were entered into the tournament, which put up some tough competition for the girls.
The team took fifth with a total score of 386, and sophomore Kinley Pfannenstiel placed eighth individually with a score of 86.
“To stay focused, I talk a lot with the girls I’m playing with so that I stay calm and don’t stress when I hit a bad shot,” Pfannenstiel said.
26lbutler@usd489.com
