Tigers sweep SEK league opener

COFFEYVILLE -- Fort Scott High School's volleyball team broke a six-match losing streak by sweeping a league triangular here Thursday night and now find themselves one of the three co-leaders, along with Pittsburg and Chanute, as Southeast Kansas League play got underway.

The Tigers took on Coffeyville first and won 25-16, 19-25, 25-20. Then they avenged an earlier non-league loss to Parsons by sweeping the Vikings, 25-21, 25-19.

Fort Scott is off to a 2-0 start in the SEK even though its only 5-8 overall.

"My kids played lights out," Fort Scott head coach Carol Bingesser said. "Monica (Dikeman) is back and the confidence level just rose out the roof. Hannah Hawkins played like a million dollars and Brittany (Bingesser) just kept getting the ball to her and she was putting them down. We are back on track!"

Dikeman, the Tigers' libero, had missed some of the matches during the losing streak after she suffered injuries an accident while riding a horse.

The Tigers hope to continue their winning ways at the Louisburg Tournament Saturday. Play begins there at 9 a.m.

NOTES -- Pittsburg is one of the other 2-0 teams after sweeping at Independence. The Purple Dragons, 10-13 overall, swept Iola, 25-16, 27-25, then completed an amazing rally in order to beat Independence two games to one.

Pittsburg trailed in the third game of the match 15-0 and 17-2. Alex Kloster took serve and the Dragons scored 11 straight points.

The Bulldogs were serving for the match at 24-20 but Pittsburg got a side out and then scored the last five points of the match to score the improbable comeback....

Chanute dealt Labette County its first loss of the season with a 25-23, 25-19 sweep at Altamont. The Blue Comets became the third co-leader by sweeping Columbus, 25-19, 25-14. Chanute is 15-2 overall....