Kickapoo volleyball’s second consecutive trip to the final four was derailed by a familiar foe on Thursday. Lafayette (Wildwood) beat Kickapoo for a second season in a row to end the Lady Chiefs’ run at a state championship.
Lafayette, which beat Kickapoo in the state championship last season, swept Kickapoo 3-0 (25-19, 25-12, 25-22) in the semifinals.
“Mentally we tried to absorb and debrief what happened and then recover and reset and try to go get another one,” said Kickapoo Head Volleyball Coach Marci Adams.
The Lady Chiefs had to bounce back quickly for a third place match against Lee’s Summit West to close out the first day of state volleyball action.
“Win or lose we have to be really proud of the heart we showed,” Adams said.
Lee’s Summit West jumped out to a 2-0 lead after beating Kickapoo 25-23 and 25-20 putting the Lady Chiefs on the brink.
Kickapoo battled back.
“I think they found a way to turn their day around,” Adams said. “It hadn’t gone the way we hoped or wanted, so they had to dig deep and figure out how they wanted to end their day.”
The Lady Chiefs took the next two sets 25-21 and 25-16 to force a deciding third set to 15. Kickapoo came up short in a back-and-forth final set losing 15-13.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE THIRD PLACE MATCH
Bella Faria closed her decorated career in a Kickapoo uniform with a 16-kill, 36-dig effort against Lee’s Summit West. Hannah Gardner (14) and Claire Doennig (10) each also had double-digit kills. Kya Johnson was also strong defensively in her final match for Kickapoo volleyball with 27 digs. Reagan Greenway was strong on the set with 30 assists with Gardner contributing 17 assists of her own.
“That’s the last time they get to do that [together],” Adams said. “[The seniors} set the precedent, they set the tone of yes we can do this.”
Kickapoo finishes the season with an overall record of 34-6.
