High school volleyball: Defending state champ Advance sweeps Gideon

GIDEON — The Advance High School volleyball team is the defending Class 1 state champion for a reason.

The Hornets made adjustments after encountering some early difficulty with Gideon’s hitting strategy as Advance swept the host 25-23, 25-14, 25-8.

“I feel like the biggest thing was that in the first set Gideon played a smart game,” Advance head coach and state hall of fame inductee Erin Hoffman said. “They put the ball where we weren’t ready for it.”

Lexi Hoffman of advance jumps to kill the ball during the first set of a match versus Gideon on Monday, Sept. 18. The Hornets finished the contest with 39 kills as a team.(Photo by Eric Viccaro, staff)

Advance made adjustments in the second set which made the Hornet defense more productive, Hoffman explained.

In turn, that fueled up Advance’s passing and touches — with impressive connections between setters and hitters in the Hornets’ 6-2 offense.

“I thought our girls really came in with the mindset that they had nothing to lose, and everything to gain,” Gideon head volleyball coach Kristen Ashabranner said.

Gideon's Jaelyn Smith digs the ball while teammate Lily Watkins watches during a match versus Advance on Monday, Sept. 18. (Photo by Eric Viccaro, staff)

“We decided we would make Advance work for every point,” Ashabranner continued. “I thought our game plan worked in the first set, but then we seemed to run out of gas.”

Ashabranner said it’s important for Gideon to play talented teams like Advance, which provide a stern challenge since the Hornets are so typically consistent.

The score was level in the opening set at 23-all when Lexi Hoffman put the Hornets ahead with a powerful kill down the line. Ashabranner called a timeout, but that didn’t stem the tide. Hornet hitter Kaylee Cline finished off the salvo with a kill.

Advance earned 13 of the first 15 points in the second set. Bonee registered a kill to bring Gideon within eight points, 22-14; however, the Hornets claimed the set on an Emma Eilers kill.

The Hornets were simply too dominant in the final set. Gideon was down 12-7 when Advance went on a 13-1 run to end the action.

As a team, Advance finished with 48 digs, 39 kills and seven ace serves. The Hornets are unblemished at 15-0-2, still fresh off winning the “Dig For Life Challenge” at Cape Girardeau on Sept. 9.

They play St. Vincent (Perryville) today at home.

Gideon (7-6-1) bounced back Tuesday with a sweep over Cooter by scores of 25-10, 25-13, 25-12.

The school district serves as host of the Bulldog Classic beginning today. Look for a separate story on the tournament at: semoball.com.

In the match versus Advance, Gala Darmofal and Skyla Woodall both contributed six kills, and Madison Bonee five. Jayden Buchanan dished off 17 assists.