An up and down season for Bourbon High School’s volleyball team ended with a loss to Belle Oct. 20 in a highly competitive quarterfinals match in the Class 2 District 7 Tournament at Steelville High School.

Belle was in control of the match early, winning the first two sets 25-14 and 25-16 to take a 2-0 advantage in the best-of-5 series.

Facing elimination, the Lady Warhawks flipped the script, winning the third set 25-15 before winning 25-23 in a close fourth set to force a fifth and final set.

Unfortunately for Bourbon, Belle summoned the strength to win the fifth set 15-7 to end the Lady Warhawks season. Statistics for the match weren’t provided.

Bourbon head coach Kelli Bailey said that she was proud of her team’s effort to fight back despite the loss.

“I saw a lot of grit and determination to not get beaten in straight sets,” Bailey said. “Belle had understandably let up a bit, thinking they had the win after that second set, yet our girls didn’t just roll over and give up.”

Bailey highlighted sophomore Brynn Miller, juniors Lauryn Hercules and Kenzii Withorn and senior Hallie Kahmke for their roles in the comeback.

“Brynn Miller really stepped up, and though not all kills were hard, she has such a reach; she really was a force on that front row. Hailie Kahmke and Lauryn Hercules also kept their teammates positive and scrappy by throwing themselves all over to save some plays. Kenzii Withorn had solid passes that we were able to build an offense off of once we got the confidence going. Belle just took over finding our weaknesses by tipping when we were ready for a hard hit, and vice versa.  Belle held together and finished that fifth set and put it away.”

With the loss, Bourbon finished the season with a 10-18-5 record. It was a streaky season for the Lady Warhawks, who went 3-0-1 in its first four matches and suffered a 0-10-1 stretch following the strong start. Bourbon righted the ship in its final nine matches, going 5-3-1 heading into District play.

Bourbon will lose seniors Kahmke, Maddie Blanton, Leah Negretti, Payton Helton and Allie Sutton, who will graduate in May. Bailey detailed her message to her senior class following the loss and shared what she will miss most about them.

“Ultimately, I thanked them for all they have done. Through all the trials and tribulations we have had over the years, those three Maddie (Blanton), Allie (Sutton) and Hailie (Kahmke) are the ones that stuck it out and showed what a teammate needs to be,” Bailey said.

“I will miss their overall positive attitudes and the way they would always include or make sure the underclassmen knew the expectations. Losing Allie as a six-rotation setter is a big spot to fill, but we look forward to seeing how our underclassmen step up.”

Bourbon will return juniors Hercules, Withorn, Hayden Terry and Ella Biles for their senior season, sophomores Miller, Brianna Bouse and Savanna Vance and freshman Abbi Payne, who started and was a steady contributor to the varsity team in her debut season at the high school level.

Bailey said that she’s optimistic and excited about the future of Bourbon’s volleyball program.

“I am so excited for the future of Bourbon Volleyball. A strong, aggressive, scrappy team is what we are bringing back and we’re only adding to the freshmen group next year,” Bailey said.

“We will have a lot of hustle and determination to do even better. Although more wins would be wonderful, this group is aware that being better may not mean more wins. I told them I hope that we can play well all-around as a whole team all season while building or supporting your teammates to do well,” she added.

“Our JV team was made up of a lot of girls who also sat varsity, and they got so much playing time this season that their volleyball IQ has just grown along with their abilities. We will be a fun group to watch next year.”