HUNTINGTON–Pendleton Heights volleyball took part in a Saturday tournament for the second straight week, this time heading north for the Huntington North Invitational. The Arabians enjoyed some success playing against a deep and talented field of teams, but coaches hope they take much more from the weekend.
Senior Brinkley Gary had eight kills and four aces in the final of four matches Saturday, as Pendleton Heights beat Northridge 25-17, 26-24.
With the win, the Arabians finished the day 2-2 and placed fifth in the eight-team tournament. Six of the eight teams won at least 20 matches last season and coach Halee Cox feels that this young team learned something about themselves Saturday.
“I think we’re learning how to compete against these teams,” Cox said. “We’re finding ourselves as a team and realizing that we can compete with those teams that play at a higher level.”
The Arabians lost their first match in pool play to Heritage in three sets, 25-21, 19-25, 9-15 before bouncing back with a 25-19, 15-25, 15-8 win over Clinton Prairie.
A two-set loss to the host Vikings, 21-25, 19-25, eliminated the Arabians from a chance to play for the tournament title. But with a young team that bounced back to beat Northridge in the fifth place game, Cox was happy with what she saw Saturday.
“I’m satisfied with it,” she said. “I think we learned a lot from making unforced, that we beat ourselves a lot today. Hopefully, we’ll learn from that heading into next week.”
For the day, the Arabians had several players perform well, but Cox was especially appreciative of the play of Gary, who seemed to step up when the team needed a big play.
“I think Brinkley did very well,” Cox said. “Especially at times when we were making mental mistakes, she really brought the team together.”
Gary finished the day with a team-high 32 kills and nine aces. Sophomore Gracie King added 23 kills and six blocks, sophomore Aubree Dwiggins led the Arabians with 62 assists, and sophomore Averi Lanman led Pendleton Heights with nine blocks and added 17 kills. Dwiggins and Lanman also had eight aces.
Cox knows the talent is there, but this team needs to learn how to win and how to finish matches strong.
“We can’t say it enough to the girls, their talent is amazing,” she said. “They have all the capabilities and all the tools to win, we just have to put those tools together. And they’re starting to get that.”
Pendleton Heights (7-7) will visit Lapel Tuesday evening, with the junior varsity matchup getting the evening started at 6 p.m.
