Grit and grace leading Eagles during first games of season

The Liberty Lady Eagles are relying on grit and grace to lead them through the 2024 volleyball season. After graduating three of their main players, the Eagles are trying to find their groove. The team is not without talent though. They boast three seniors and two juniors who have had countless hours on the varsity court. Their sophomore and freshman players all bring a level of intensity and athleticism to the team that promises a bright future for the Lady Eagles. The goal now is for the girls to find their groove.

 

The season began on Thursday, Sept. 5 as the Eagles hosted the West Plains Lady Zizzers. The Zizzers overtook the Lady Eagles in three sets 13-25, 24-26, 18-25.

 

"I knew the first game of the season was going to be rough," began Head Coach Shari Tune. "Korie was just getting back into the game and not her usual self. It was a really good eye-opening experience for us because it was fun to see them attempt to battle, but also see, as a coach, where we need to spend a little bit more time. I was pleased with the heart and the work ethic."

 

For the game, Junior Jade Acklin (3) had 1 kill, 11 assists and 4 digs; Senior Kaylie Wagner (5) had 2 aces, 3 assists and 10 digs; Sophomore Jayli Tharp (6) had 9 attacks, 1 kill, 9 assists and 2 digs; Senior Bryleigh Wallace (9) had 1 ace, 4 attacks, 4 kills and 6 digs; Junior Kelbie Smith (10) had 1 ace, 5 attacks, 2 kills and 4 digs; Freshman Delani Ellett (11) had 3 attacks and 1 kill; and Senior Korie Lind (13) had 2 aces, 7 attacks, 14 kills and 10 digs.

 

On Tuesday, Sept. 10 the Lady Eagles hosted the Strafford Lady Indians. The game was a hard fought loss in three sets to the Lady Indians, 21-25, 19-25, 23-25.

 

"Strafford always have a solid volleyball program," Coach Tune reflected on the game. "I would way rather play games that test us than ones that let us play sloppy. We saw a lot of improvements in a lot of areas in the Strafford game. We were just creating too many errors of our own, between hitting and serving. With our slow start to the schedule we are spending a lot of time practicing when the girls are ready to play. Sometimes that leads to the loss of focus on the minor details. Once again, the heart and work ethic was there, so we will just work continually on cleaning up our side of the net."

 

For the game, Freshman Abby Roberts (1) had 1 ace; Freshman Brinley Duckett (2) had 6 attacks and 1 dig; Acklin had 3 attacks, 2 kills and 10 assists; Wagner had 1 attack, 1 kill and 13 digs; Tharp had 5 attacks, 1 kill, 10 assists and 3 digs; Freshman Jordyn Tune (8) had 2 assists and 1 dig; Wallace had 11 attacks, 6 kills and 6 digs; Smith had 3 attacks, 4 kills, 1 assist and 3 digs; Ellett had 1 attack; and Lind had 3 aces, 16 attacks, 10 kills and 11 digs.

 

Finishing their three-game home streak, the Lady Eagles hosted the Eminence Lady Redwings on Thursday, Sept. 12. The Lady Eagles secured their first victory of the season with a sweep, 25-20, 25-15 and 25-12.

 

"We switched up a few things tonight, and even though it made us a little rusty at first, I was very pleased with how the girls battled all three sets. Our serving errors were way, way better and our hitting errors are showing improvement. These girls will buy into whatever we need to try, and for that they will make a lot of progress over the season. Each one of them have a very important role. They do a great job of letting each other know that they need that role to be successful," said Coach Tune.

 

For the game, Duckett had 3 attacks and 2 kills; Acklin had 6 assists and 5 digs; Wagner had 1 kill, 3 assists and 6 digs; Tharp had 8 aces, 5 attacks, 10 kills and 4 digs; Tune had 2 aces, 21 assists and 7 digs; Wallace had 8 attacks, 6 kills, 1 assist and 8 digs; Smith had 5 attacks, 4 kills and 1 dig; Ellett had 3 attacks and 2 kills; Lind had 4 aces, 9 attacks, 14 kills, 1 assist and 11 digs; Junior Kinsey Shoup (15) had 2 digs; and Freshman Darra Daniels (27) had 1 kill.

 

Next up for the Lady Eagles is an away game at Fair Grove on Monday, Sept. 16 followed by another away game in Mtn. Grove on Tuesday, Sept. 17. The busy week will round out with the Lady Eagles traveling to Winona on Thursday, Sept. 19 and then hosting Miller on Saturday, Sept. 21.