Park Hill South volleyball wins Winnetonka Tournament

After a loss to Liberty on the road in the season’s opening week, Park Hill South’s volleyball team was hoping in the back of their mind that they’d have the opportunity for revenge this past weekend at the Winnetonka Tournament. From across the bracket, their only chance would come if they advanced to the championship match. They not only earned that chance, but they did it in convincing fashion as they dominantly advanced out of pool play and through the title bracket.

In fact, the Panthers didn’t loss a single match in the final three rounds of the tournament as they defeated Liberty North in the quarterfinals (25-9, 25-20) and Smithville in the semifinals (25-14, 25-20). They topped it all off with 25-19, 25-22 wins against Liberty to vindicate their early season loss and claim the Winnetonka Tournament’s team title, adding another chapter to the two teams history of battling for Northland volleyball supremacy. Emma Hagedorn led the Panthers with 36 kills in the tournament while Tori Kerr added an extraordinarily high amount of aces with 24.

For South, it concludes a successful week in which they added two wins against Fort Osage and Winnetonka and increased their overall record to 9-1. The Panthers will look to make it two tournament titles in a row this weekend as they travel to the Lee’s Summit North Tournament. As a fairly young team and one not considered having size as an advantage, the Panthers’ success must come from fundamentals and chemistry, more so than most teams.

“Emma (Hagedorn), our senior, matches up with these team well size-wise, she’s our tallest player. It’s a big kids game so the bigger teams have the advantage,” head coach Debbie Fay said. “Since we’re not real big overall, that means we really have to move the ball a lot and have longer volleys.”

Having a balanced team aids that need and reinforces each player’s individual importance and role.

“Ball control and a balanced offense, we count on everyone to score. Team chemistry, hustle, and doing our jobs each night,” Fay listed as her team’s strengths. “Passing is important. The team that passes well has the best chance of winning. Servicing and passing are the keys to our success.”

Following this weekend’s tournament, the Panthers will head into the heart of their conference schedule.