The Southeast High School varsity volleyball team faced a grueling week on the court, finishing with an 0-3 mark against tough league and area competition. While the win column did not reflect it, the Lancers showed noticeable strides in lineup chemistry, defensive grit, and front-row net play as they crossed into the second half of their regular-season schedule.
Southeast kicked off the week with a road triangular at Central Heights on Tuesday before returning home Thursday night to celebrate Senior Night against Cherokee County rival Columbus.
Tough Fight on the Road at Central Heights
Opening Tuesday’s triangular against host Central Heights, the Lancers debuted a newly tweaked rotation. Despite falling behind 15-2 in the opening set, Southeast refused to fold. The Lancers mounted a furious 23-10 scoring run, pushing the Vikings to the brink before dropping the set 27-25, followed by a 25-17 decision in the second.
Senior Reece Myers and sophomore Hope Sluder set the tone above the net with three blocks each, while junior Gabby Ulepich added two blocks. Sophomore Addy Ulepich anchored the back row with eight digs, and sophomore Emma Gideon turned in an all-around effort featuring three aces, five kills, and seven digs.
“This match we had just adjusted our lineup and we ran it for the first time at Central,” said Southeast head coach Maya White. “I saw a lot of good things. The biggest was some grit! We were down the first set 2-15 and came back only to lose 25-27. But there was a lot of determination which had not been there at that level yet.”
In their second match of the evening, the Lancers matched up against Jayhawk-Linn, dropping straight sets by scores of 25-12 and 25-14.
Gideon led the attack with five kills, while Myers tallied four kills and a block. Junior setter Elena White distributed 10 assists, and Addy Ulepich delivered steady passing with 14 perfect serve-receives.
“I think the first game we had a good mindset but just wasn’t able to pull off a win,” senior captain Reece Myers noted. “Second game could have been a lot better. We had way too many mistakes, but we are ready to keep putting the practice in to get better.”
Host Central Heights swept the triangular at 2-0, while Jayhawk-Linn finished 1-1.
Lancers Honor Seniors Against Columbus
On Thursday night, Southeast hosted Columbus for their final home duel of the season, honoring the program’s graduating seniors before the match.
The Lancers came out firing in an ultra-competitive opening set before the Titans edged out the sweep (25-23, 25-20, 25-14).
Myers powered the Southeast front row with a team-high 11 kills to go along with two blocks. Gideon filled the stat sheet once again with eight kills, three blocks, and eight digs. Elena White paced the offense with 16 assists while digging out nine balls, and Addy Ulepich put on a defensive clinic in the back row with 18 digs.
“I wish we could have come away with the ‘W’ last night for our senior Reece Myers,” Coach White said. “Unfortunately we did not. But we did come away with more offensive and defensive output than we have had. The thing that is holding us back is ourselves. We are just making too many errors. We are headed in the right direction. We are entering our second half of our schedule. I have some very determined young women. I believe we will be making the changes we need to.”
During pre-match ceremonies, Southeast recognized four seniors for their dedication and contributions to the program:
- Reece Myers — Three-time varsity letterwinner and team leader at the net.
- Daisy Westbay — Four-year athlete in the Southeast volleyball program.
- Jonnie Rynsburger — Two-year varsity team manager.
- Nevaeh Ihrer — One-year varsity team manager.
“All four young women have been tremendous for our volleyball program,” Coach White added.
Program Results and What’s Ahead
Southeast’s sub-varsity squads had a competitive week as well. The junior varsity team dropped hard-fought matches to Central Heights, Jayhawk-Linn, and Columbus to finish the week 0-3, while the C-team came up short Thursday in their home matchup against Columbus.
The varsity squad moves to 2-17 overall as they head into a travel-free weekend before hitting the road next week.
Southeast will return to action on Tuesday, Sept. 29, heading to Erie for a triangular against host Erie and the Uniontown Eagles. All three squads (C-team, JV, and Varsity) are scheduled to compete. Southeast will cap off the week with another full-program road contest on Thursday, Oct. 1.
