The Hutchison Hawks prevailed 2-0 over host team Seward in the championship game at the Seward Volleyball Invitational tournament Saturday.
The Seahawks were undefeated heading into the title match after going 6-0 in round-robin play Friday, which placed them into a noon semifinal Saturday against Houston. Seward defeated Houston 2-0 to advance into the title game.
Seward head coach Jodi Kurtz praised the efforts of her players, noting the passing efficiency of Randi Tolson and Sequoia Sieverts.
“The girls are learning to work together as a team,” Kurtz said. “They are learning to trust each other and learning to play with all their (teammates).”
Kurtz mentioned that Hutchison, a perennial state powerhouse, could be a team that Seward may have to face later in the year at the small-schools state tournament, and the Seahawks used Saturday’s championship loss as a lesson.
“We’re going to do what we can to fight and get back to state,” she said. “They enjoyed going last year.”
Seward won all six one-set round-robin games Friday to grab the top seed Saturday.
In their semifinal win against Houston, Allie Toloff led the Seahawks with seven aces, while Ashley Jackson notched eight digs, Sieverts had three kills and Coral Petrosius recorded four aces.
Seward will face Hutchison, Grace Christian and Houston next weekend in a three-day home series starting Thursday.
