High school volleyball: Portageville, East Prairie advance in Class 2 District 1

MALDEN — There was one upset and one “business as usual” match during the Class 2 District 1 tournament on Thursday at Malden High School.

East Prairie, which came into the tournament seeded fifth, downed No. 1 seed Senath-Hornersville 24-26, 25-19, 16-25, 25-19, 15-10.

Second-seeded Portageville swept Malden 25-16, 25-23, 25-18, but the Green Wave played the Bulldogs tough throughout the match.

Mikalyn Vipperman (1) bumps the ball forward while teammate Angela Dobbins (13) looks on as Malden plays Portageville in the Class 2 District 1 tournament semifinals dated Thursday, Oct. 19, in Malden. Portageville won in three sets. (Photo by Eric Viccaro, staff)

“I felt Malden played well against us,” Portageville head coach Sasha Kellams said. “They definitely have girls with talent. We knew going into the match they would be ready to battle.”

Malden first-year head coach Jennifer Sokolova was pleased with her team’s grit.

“The girls played their hearts out tonight,” the coach commented. “We didn’t have anything to lose, and that pushed us to play harder, with more spirit and energy.”

Malden's Kinley Buchanan serves during a Class 2 District 1 tournament semifinal match dated Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023. (Photo by Eric Viccaro, staff)

The Green Wave made the match interesting by putting up effective single and double blocks on the front row.

Portageville (27-4-2) and East Prairie will meet at 6 p.m. Monday for the district championship. From a historical perspective, the Bulldogs have won two straight district titles and have claimed four since 2013.

“Being able to play for a district title is such a blessing,” Kellams added. “I am incredibly proud of our girls. They have bought into what we’re trying to achieve.”

Sokolova said what makes Portageville such a tough team is its array of hitting talent.

Ja’Niya Smith, Gloriaha Farmer, Laney Stone and Jayla Weddington are all capable of throwing down powerful kills.

This marked the final scholastic volleyball match for Malden’s Addi Buchanan, Kinley Buchanan, Angela Dobbins, Nasia Bloniarz-Smoot and Jaylyn Samons. The Green Wave improved this season — winning the Charleston Bluejay Invitational on Sept. 30.

Dobbins finished with nine kills, and Mikalyn Vipperman added five. Addi Buchanan scooped up 11 digs.

Bryleigh Adams gave Portageville the first set with a clever roll shot that Malden couldn’t return.

Malden (15-14-3) was ahead in the second set, 23-21, after a Vipperman tip found the floor. That’s when Portageville fought back to win the final four points — punctuated by a Farmer kill.

Malden committed several errors down the stretch in the third set, and the Bulldogs prevailed.

Meanwhile, East Prairie (10-14-2) rallied from a 2-1 set deficit to beat Senath-Hornersville, helped by the Lions predictable attack.

Several Lions (14-13-2) played in their final career match, including setter Morgan Chandler, middle hitter Chloe Edmonston, outside hitter Jada Burlison, libero Addie Lane, Hayley Barksdale and Cristina Manrique.

East Prairie rolled up a 7-1 advantage in the fifth set, propelled by several Senath-Hornersville hitting errors and two kills from Eagle Jerzey Vinson.

The Lions couldn’t close the gap to more than a three-point margin three times and East Prairie freshman Olivia Hayes served out the match.

Vinson also had the final kill in the fourth set. Lyvanna Reyes of Senath-Hornersville had a brilliant block to help her team win the third set. A late Hayes kill pushed the Eagles to clinch the second set.

Senath-Hornersville claimed the first set, winning the 26th point as Brennan Lane received an East Prairie serve, passing it to Morgan Chandler — who in turn sent the ball to Edmonston for the kill.