Young PCS volleyball team grows through work ethic

by Diane Stamm

Grant tribune-sentinel

The Perkins County volleyball team was young in many ways, but the squad worked hard to make improvements throughout the season.

Playing their last season were seniors Mallory McClenahan, Gracie Loy, Mackayla Wallin and Carlie Homan.

Cole said the leadership that McClenahan portrayed this year was so great with her bubbly personality, spunk and willingness to do whatever was asked of her. We will miss her right side hit, secondary setting and serve!

Loy was the Plainsmen’s humorous leader throughout her four years of high school play, Cole said. 

“I am so proud of her and all that she became as a player in this last season, for sure. She endured ups and downs and stuck with it, and that made her a good teammate,” Cole added.

A knee injury cut short Wallin’s senior year.

“Our coaching hearts broke for her as volleyball was her passion and she was looking forward to playing this season,” Cole said, adding although Wallin knew her season was done, she never quit on her team. 

“Although a hard situation, her maturity about it was a shining spot about her,” Cole said.

Homan was new to the Plainsmen this year. Cole said Homan wasn’t sure she wanted to play volleyball, but the PCS coaches were glad she decided to give it a go and be a part of the Plainsmen team. 

“She did great things for us, is a hard worker and had a smile on her face often while competing in practice or a game. She was a joy and we are thankful she chose to be on our team,” Cole said.

Cole said the PCS junior varsity players deserve praise for the season  they had.

“This entire team put in the work day in and day out, but to be able to compete in practice is what makes the varsity team better and who they became,” she added.

Constantly pushing and competing against each other, to make each other better is a way to determine what this team is made of, Cole continued. 

“They did a fantastic job of doing all of that, all the while being successful in their own games throughout the season,” she said.

Although the team finished 13-17, PCS was on a three-game winning streaking heading into the post season after a third place finish at SPVA.

Cole said the tournament was a high point of the season, especially winning two matches to teams that had beat the Plainsmen earlier in the season.

Those wins showed off the many ways the team grew throughout the season.

“Coming in, we were pretty raw with experience at the varsity level and the girls didn’t shy away from the competition, they got hungrier for it. They continually got stronger with their confidence, first of all, their hitting, their defense, and their tenacity,” Cole said, adding they played way older than they actually are in a lot of the games. 

They were coachable kids that worked as a team, she said.