SportsOctober 10, 2023
Portageville one step closer to third straight Bootheel title with 3-0 win over Hayti
MALDEN, Mo. — The Portageville volleyball is on a quest for history as the Lady Bulldogs (22-4-2) are seeking their third consecutive Bootheel Tournament Championship. Things got off to a good start on Monday, October 9, with a 3-0 opening-round victory over Hayti at Malden High School...
By Dennis Marshall ~ Standard-Democrat
MALDEN, Mo. — The Portageville volleyball is on a quest for history as the Lady Bulldogs (22-4-2) are seeking their third consecutive Bootheel Tournament Championship.
Things got off to a good start on Monday, October 9, with a 3-0 opening-round victory over Hayti at Malden High School.
“For the most part, we played clean and worked on some fundamentals,” said Portageville coach Sasha Kellams. “I’m proud of the way we came out and took care of the business. We are taking it one day at a time but we have a goal in mind and we’re one step closer.”
Jayla Weddington was unstoppable in the early stages of the first set, using her athleticism and power to overwhelm the Lady Indians (1-16-2). Her spikes were so powerful that they often left the defenders flat-footed.
“[Weddington] is naturally gifted,” Kellam said. “She has a lot of God-given ability and talent. She’s a powerhouse up there, and if the other team doesn’t have anyone who can handle her, it can make for a long night.”
Ja’Naye Smith and Aaliyah Larry had several accurate serves that resulted in aces during the first set, while Bryleigh Adams added some big-time kills.
Mia Scherer had the set-clinching ace to secure a 25-9 win.
“We served well tonight,” Kellams said. “It’s like free throws in basketball. You just want to be focused and mentally tough enough to go back there and take care of it. We served very well tonight.”
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Weddington continued her dominance in the second set, pounding down a couple more thunderous spikes to help Portageville get off to a nice start. Glo Farmer and Laney Stone made their presence felt, serving up some impressive aces and recording several kills and blocks.
“Sometimes it is easy to let up on a team when you’re up by a lot,” Kellams said. “But we kept our composure and just kept playing.”
The Lady Bulldogs won the second set 25-7 after a smashing set-clinching spike by Farmer.
Scherer's serving prowess continued into the third set, as she helped Portageville jump out to a commanding 7-0 lead. Glo Farmer served up the final ace of the match to seal Portageville's victory with a 25-8 victory in the third set, completing the sweep.
“We just have so many girls with some God-given talent,” Kellams said. “You can’t coach that. They’re just gifted and I’m incredibly blessed to have a group of girls who are aggressive and have a strong desire to win. I know they’re going to take care of it up there at the net.”
Weddington finished the match with eight kills and a dig; Smith had nine kills, five digs, three aces and an assist; Farmer added eight kills, six digs and two aces; and Stone chipped in nine digs, eight kills, two blocks and an assist.
Portageville’s other top performers were Adams (six kills, two aces and two digs), Larry (nine assists, three aces, three digs and a kill), Scherer (20 assists and four aces) and Liza Priggel (three assists).
“This group can sometimes come across as goofy, but that’s just who they are,” Kellam said. “They like to have fun out there and it works for them. Overall this group works well together. They’re all aggressive and they all deserve so much credit.”
Portageville will play Malden (14-11-3) in the semifinals on Tuesday, October 10.
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