Carroll earns sweeps of Cheney, Andale in matchup of state contenders

WICHITA, Kan. (Catch it Kansas) - It was a big day for Bishop Carroll on the volleyball court Monday, the Golden Eagles earning straight set victories in a rare triangular with state championship contenders from three different classes.

The Golden Eagles, with just a loss to Washburn Rural on the year, are ranked #5 in 5A. Their opponents, Andale and Cheney, entered the day ranked 1st in 4A and 2nd in 3A respectively. But it was the bigger school that prevailed in each match held in Wichita Monday night.

The day started with Cheney facing the Golden Eagles, and Bishop Carroll jumped out to a big lead, never looking back. They forced two quick Cardinals timeouts in going up 15-3 in the first set, with senior Riley Daugherty leading the way in kills for a long stretch of time. The Cardinals ended a long scoreless drought but it was too late in a 25-8 set one loss.

The second set started out closer than the first, the Cards keeping it with an 11-9 score midway through the set. But then the Golden Eagles took off, winning 14 of the final 16 points of the set to take the match in straight sets, 25-8, 25-11. Another senior in Ella Larkin lead the way in kills in closing out the win.

Match number two saw Cheney taking on Andale, and for Cheney it was another slow start. The Indians went up by 10 early, a 14-4 lead that only grew from there to a 25-9 win.

In the second it was again a better start for Cheney, but one that didn’t last. The Cards lead it 7-5 before Andale went for 6 straight points, forcing a Cardinal timeout at 11-7. The Indians never looked back, taking the second 25-14 for a two set victory.

Both Fairchild sisters for the Indians, senior Katelyn and sophomore McKenzie, along with middle blocker Jaley Eck had big matches in securing the straight set win.

Then in the final match of the night, Andale couldn’t keep the momentum going. The Indians were forced to burn two quick timeouts in falling in a 14-7 hole to Bishop Carroll. The Golden Eagles kept on the gas, taking the first 25-16 in what turned out to be the closest set of the triangular. Carroll took the second 25-13 to go 2-0 on the day and keep their mark with just a single blemish on their record.

Andale suffered its second loss of the year, falling earlier in the season to still-unbeaten McPherson, another 5A opponent. Cheney has now dropped three straight matches, all coming to bigger schools; they finished a modified quad last Thursday with a 3 set loss to Maize South.

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