Steelville High School’s volleyball team began its season on a high note, sweeping Laquey in straight sets in a home game Sept. 1 at the varsity and junior varsity levels to earn its first victories of the year. The Lady Cardinals are playing their home matches at Steelville Middle School while renovations at the high school gymnasium continue.

Steelville’s junior varsity squad won its first set 25-10 before emerging with a 25-13 victory in its second set to win the best-of-five series with little adversity.

The Lady Cardinals’ varsity team was in control from start to finish, winning 25-8, 25-11 and 25-7 in the best-of-seven matchup.

The White and Red were led by its strong senior class of Emeri Perkins, Kylee Livesay, Jazmyn Hurd, Gracie Mae Boone, Sylvia Davis and Maggie Bunch and received significant contributions from juniors Kaylinn Gillam and Claire Settles along with sophomore Alex Helms.   

Livesay led the Lady Cardinals with 10 aces and 13 assists while adding three digs in an efficient and productive season-opening performance.

Gillam had six kills and seven aces. Perkins tallied five kills, four serves returned and three aces. Hurd returned seven serves, recorded three digs and had three aces and Settles had seven assists.

Boone had four aces, Bunch chipped in three aces, one kill and one dig, Davis supplied two kills and two digs and Helms added one kill and one dig for Steelville’s balanced attack.

The Lady Cardinals also hosted Dixon Sept. 4, which will be detailed in next week’s edition due to the Labor Day weekend print schedule.

Steelville will continue to play in the friendly confines of Steelville Middle School for its next two games, on Sept. 9 hosting Potosi and Sept. 14 hosting Plato. The Lady Cards will then play in Viburnum on Sept. 15 before hosting St. James on Sept. 16.