by Kinsey Phipps

“I felt relieved after we scored the winning point. The intensity was high, and we had to stay focused through every set,” junior Kayla Jennings said.
Intensity was at a high point for the PCM girls’ varsity volleyball team when they faced off against the Chariton Chargers, away, for the second round of 3A Districts on Oct. 29.
The teams seemed to be fairly evenly matched, as all the games were close and were won point-by-point. PCM took the first set, winning 25-20. Chariton fought back and won the next two sets with scores of 25-20 and 25-21, respectively.
The fourth set was an intense one, as a Chariton win would seal the fate of the Mustangs season. However, the Mustangs fought hard and won the set 25-20.
Game five was the deciding factor. Being that fifth sets only go to 15, every point counted with the small amount of room of give the girls had. The score came down to 14-14. It’s a necessity to win by two points, so PCM kicked it into high gear and won with a final set score of 16-14 and a final match score of 3-2.
Jennings had a good night, as she set up a total of 41 assists on the night, as well as going 23-23 on serves. Senior Ashley Van Gorp had the most digs with 11. Junior Kaylee Townsend and sophomore Regan Olson each had two blocks. Junior Katie Vande Wall was on fire with 15 kills.
“We know we’re going up against tough competition in the Substate game, so we are going to be working hard in practice,” Jennings said. “We need to prepare mentally and physically for what’s to come.”
The Mustangs’ Substate game was on Nov. 3 at Newton high school against Nevada. The Cubs are 29-9 on the season and are ranked fourth in 3A.