SHS loses opener

Second-ranked McGuinness put a crimp in Shawnee’s season volleyball opener Thursday night with a 28-22, 25-27, 25-21, 25-22 victory at the Shawnee Middle School fieldhouse.
Shawnee had defeated McGuinness 26-24 in a preseason single-set tournament matchup.
“It was an intense opening game,” Shawnee coach Jessica Waack said of Thursday night’s matchup. “It was the first game of the year and there were a lot of nerves. That played into our defensive energy. We will play them two more times so we will have an opportunity to adjust some things.”
Shawnee will participate in the McGuinness Tournament Sept. 19-20 and also compete at McGuinness on Sept. 25.
“Our middle blocking was very aggressive at the net with senior Tatum Colburn and junior Alex Goodnight,” Waack said.
Waack also lauded senior Caitlyn Yount. “She did an amazing job controlling the ball on the offensive attack,” Waack said. “She had very good placement on the ball.
“And Nichole Coots was a strong offensive player for us on the outside attack. She played consistent throughout the match.”
McGuinness dropped the second set in large measure to nine misserves. “We covered better in that game. Our attack line was better and our communication much better,” Waack said. “Our downfall was definitely our defense in the center-back. We couldn’t close out the outside attack. We just didn’t adjust and close out.”
Courtney Buchanan of Shawnee was lauded for an outstanding defensive job.
Shawnee will be idle until next Thursday when it plays at Choctaw. On Aug. 22-23, Shawnee will compete at the Glenpool Tournament.
McGuinness also prevailed in the freshman match (25-15, 25-19) and the junior-varsity match (25-4, 21-25, 15-11). Waack lauded freshman Danielle Meyers and junior-varsity performer Christina Wilson for their performances.
Note: Fred Fehr compiled this report.