Vandalia’s eighth-graders rally for regional volleyball title

HILLSBORO – The first time Shelbi Stewart came to the service line, she only got to serve once.

The second time she came around, she rallied her team from a seven-point deficit to get them within one point of the lead.

Vandalia’s eighth-graders would eventually get the lead and take the first set in last Thursday’s regional championship game against Gillespie, and that momentum continued through the second set of a 26-24, 25-18 victory.

“They’ve really been fighters,” said coach Allison Hall. “We talked about being patient and always continuing to fight for each point.

“In the first set, they did a phenomenal job of coming back one point at a time to get the lead.”

Third-seeded Gillespie led 21-14 before Stewart took over the serve, and though she had just one ace in her seven serves, the floating nature of the ball led to four hitting errors by the Jr. Lady Miners.

Back-to-back kills by Carley Wilkerson and Katie Tarkington after Stewart lost the serve tied the set at 22, and after trading points, an ace by Alli Palmer and an attack error by Gillespie gave fourth-seeded Vandalia the set win.

Gillespie opened the match with four straight service aces, and Vandalia eventually took an 11-10 lead on three straight kills by Tarkington – who had a team-high seven in the match.

The Jr. Lady Miners followed with a kill and three aces, however, taking control of the set and eventually running their lead to 21-13.

Vandalia extended the momentum of winning the first set into the second, taking a 7-2 lead and getting four aces from Stewart along the way, but Gillespie would rally back to go ahead 10-9.

“That’s part of junior high volleyball,” Hall said. “You go up and down, but we’ve done a great job of staying patient in this regional.”

A block by Tarkington and Sydney Austin, who added five kills in the match, tied the score, and Palmer served three straight aces following a kill by Tarkington to give the Jr. Lady Vandals (11-7) a 14-10 lead.

Gillespie got back within two points at 20-18, but a block by Wilkerson and two straight attack errors put Vandalia two points from the win and forced Gillespie to use its final timeout.

“I told them, ‘Right now, the pressure is on them, not on us, so we have to talk, move and not panic,’” Hall said. “We needed to play relaxed, and they did a good job of that.”

Emalee Hall served the final of her three aces on the first point after the timeout, and after a long rally, Wilkerson put down the final kill to give Vandalia its second eighth-grade regional championship in the past four seasons.

“I couldn’t be more proud of them,” Hall said. “They’ve worked hard and work to get better every day.

“We’ve been scrimmaging against the high school kids, and that has made a difference in how we adjust to things.”

The last championship came in 2011, when Vandalia went into the sectional undefeated, but lost to Carlinville.

This year’s group wasn’t even expected to make it this far.

Facing No. 1 seed Staunton last Wednesday, the Jr. Lady Vandals put together their best game of the season, earning the upset win, 25-20, 25-16, and one day before that, the team defeated No. 5 Litchfield, 25-17, 25-17.

“I was really nervous last night against Staunton, but our kids just came in and played,” Hall said. “That’s because they play well as a group, and if I stick someone else in there, they don’t miss a beat.”

With the win, Vandalia advanced to face Auburn in Monday’s Hillsboro Sectional. Results of that game can be found in a separate story in this issue.

Thursday, March 13
Vandalia 26, Gillespie 24
Vandalia 25, Gillespie 18
Kills: Tarkington, 7; Austin, 5; Wilkerson, 3; Palmer, 2; Stewart, 1; Bailey Younker, 1.
Aces: Palmer, 5; Stewart, 5; Hall, 3.
Assists: Tarkington, 4; Austin, 3; Palmer, 3; Stewart, 2; Hall, 1; Wilkerson, 1.
Blocks: Wilkerson, 1½; Austin, ½; Palmer, ½; Tarkington, ½.
Record: 11-7