Rich Rautenstrauch/Chieftain Joseph Eagles sophomore Johnelle Suto sets the ball for a teammate while playing Mitchell/Spray Saturday afternoon in Sather Court.

JOSEPH – Coach Jill Hite reported the Joseph Eagles volleyball team showed marked improvement in play at a Sept. 13 tournament hosted by Joseph. The Eagles placed second in pool play, splitting a pair with Echo 25-20 and 9-25 and splitting another pair with Riverside 24-26 and 25-20.

The Eagles also wrested two from Harper 25-17 and 25-11. Hite said the Eagles had their ups and downs but had very consistent serving. She also cited strong team effort in the last three games of pool play.

In tournament play the Eagles defeated Spray/Mitchell 25-8 and 25-19. Hite said the team had excellent serving, in particular, Satori Albee, Mckenzie Parker and Haven Johnson. Hite noted a great team effort by all. She said the team worked well at finding the open spots on the floor, smashing 14 kills against the opponents. Natalie Williams led the squad with six kills.

The Eagles did not fare so well against their Imbler opponents, dropping a pair 19-25 and 8-25. Hite said the team played well in the first game with consistent serving and strong teamwork. She added the team is looking forward to next weekend when they play Wallowa and Nixyawwi.

Individual stats: Kills — Satori Albee, 15; Natalie Williams, 13; Haven Johnson, 9; Alley Cooney, 8. Blocks – Satori Albee, 10; Natalie Williams, 7. Assists – McKinzie Parker, 23; Johnelle Suto, 22. Hite also cited Addie Kilgore for coming off the bench with three kills and Annie Story who came off the bench with consistent passing in both serve/receive and defense.