Catharsis, fleeting in an otherwise tumultuous season, found its way to Parsons on Wednesday night as the Labette Cardinals swept the Coffeyville Red Ravens, 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 26-24) on Sophomore Night — snapping a 20-year losing streak in the process.
The win for the Cardinals was the their first over Coffeyville since 2004 — Leigh Ann Phillips was the head coach then. Her husband, Ryan Phillips, took over Labette’s softball program that year and remains in the role today.
“This was huge,” Labette volleyball head coach Haley Cook said. “I know we haven’t beaten Coffeyville in my seven years here. It’s a huge milestone. To do it in three straight sets is even better. It’s been a rough year we’ve had. So it was nice to find consistency after winning the first set.”
Labette established itself in the first two sets, claiming six-points leads in both at one point as the Cardinals’ back line held firm and its hitters found gaps.
“We stayed consistent and level-headed throughout,” Cook said. “We dug ourselves some holes, but we were able to bounce back quickly.”
It was a different story in the third set. Coffeyville leapt out early and built up a 17-9 lead before the Cardinals mounted a massive comeback.
Labette ended the set on a 17-8 run to top off the night.
“It started with Margaux (Pique) going on a serve run,” Cook said. “We built momentum from there. We had a huge block in the middle of that run. Then we just put our foot on the gas.”
The Cardinals found variety throughout the night — Bailey Brockus was deadly on the outside and was complemented by Carley Fox. Middles Madyson Goossen and Pique kept Coffeyville’s block honest and the Cardinals’ defense proved rugged.
“We had to stress not overloading the outside,” Cook said. “Early, Coffeyville was double-blocking the outside and taking away the line shot. So we had to mix up our shots and everybody had to be active.”
Labette improved to 7-23 overall and 2-7 in KJCCC play with the win — the Cardinals’ season hasn’t gone to plan. Assistant coach Alexis Kapales, a former player who brought a new offensive system, abruptly left her post last week to take a new job.
But defeating Coffeyville, a school that’s won two NJCAA national titles since it last lost to Labette, was a release that prompted an animated Cook to rally the crowd as the Cardinals won.
“It was something we needed as a team,” Cook said. “I knew they needed energy from me and the crowd to overcome that deficit. We still have milestones in front of us. We have another conference team to beat in Neosho County. We still have a lot at stake.”
Up next
Labette will play its season finale on the road on Saturday at Neosho County in Chanute.
