By ALEXANDER SIMONE

Staff writer

Hillsboro was the county’s major power in action this past weekend with Marion volleyball having no games since its Oct. 13 victory over Peabody-Burns.

Hillsboro added three victories to its record, going 3-0 in a Saturday quad at home, and dropping just one set the whole day.

The Trojans opened play by clearly beating Circle in two sets, 25-16, and 25-15. The girls dropped their first set to Halstead, 25-22, but took the remaining two sets, 25-17, and 25-19. Hillsboro secured another two-set victory against Rock Creek, 25-22, and 25-15.

The three matches raise Hillsboro’s record to 21-3 for the season, as the Trojans look ahead to Saturday’s substate tournament at Inman.

Teams struggle at league tournament

Goessel, Centre, and Peabody-Burns competed in the Wheat State League tournament Saturday. All three teams suffered through a difficult day.

Goessel lost its three matches in pool play but forced each to three sets. The Bluebirds won their first set against Rural Vista, 25-23, but lost the next two, 26-24, and 25-23.

County rival Centre dropped its first set to Goessel, 25-2, but the Cougars recovered to win the final two sets, 26-24, and 25-13.

The Bluebirds then lost their first and third sets to Herington 25-21, and 25-14, despite winning the second set 25-20. They also lost to Herington in the semifinals, this time 25-21 and 25-18.

The Cougars also struggled, even with their victory over Goessel.

They lost their opening match to Herington, as the Railers continued to exert its dominance over all other WSL teams. However, Centre did manage to keep sets within reasonable distance, losing 25-18, and 25-17.

The Cougars final match of group play was a difficult loss in straight set against Rural Vista, losing the first set 25-14 and the second 25-18.

Centre closed its day with another match against the Heat, though the result improved somewhat. The Cougars still lost but managed to capture the second set 25-22. They lost the first and third sets, 25-17 and 25-12.

Peabody-Burns also fell hard, losing matches to Elyria Christian and Little River.

Reporter Delbert Peters made contributions to this story.