GASTON — The Eastern Hancock volleyball team traveled to Wes-Del on Monday night, and despite a strong effort, fell 3-0 during its Mid-Eastern Conference opener.
Host Wes-Del won the match, 25-16, 25-19, 25-19.
The EH Royals were led offensively by Sydni Bednarski and Lili Hunt, who both finished with seven kills apiece.
Alivia Coffin had four kills, while Megan Retherford and Ruby White posted two each.
Brooklyn Willis fired three serving aces. White had three total blocks, and Hunt tallied two to go with a team-high 11 digs.
Bre Taulbee finished with 10 digs, followed by Retherford’s eight and Sydney Hayes’ six. Bednarski had five. Hayes dished out a team-best 20 assists.
The Royals are now 4-2 on the season and 0-1 in the MEC. They hosted Centerville on Tuesday and welcome rival Greenfield-Central on Thursday night.
Cross Country
Cougars win Richmond Invite
The Greenfield-Central boys cross-country team won the Richmond Hares and Hounds Invitational on Saturday.
The Cougars placed three runners in the top six and all five scorers finished in the top 20 to secure the win with 43 points.
Northeastern (75) was second. Southport (85) finished third. Richmond (103) was fourth and East Central (125) took fifth. New Castle (128) was sixth. Marion (136) placed seventh.
Matt Wickham led the Cougars with a second-place run in 17:23. Chris Ross was third in 17:36. Liam Brinkruff was sixth in 18:08. Jacob Presser placed 14th in 18:57. Lucas Tutrow (19:26) finished 20th.
Carter Crouch was 21st, Morgan Flanagan was 27th, Adam Bright was 29th and Liam Flanagan took 32nd.
Dragons’ cross country runs strong
The New Palestine cross-country teams opened their season Saturday at the Zionsville Invitational at Northview Christian Church in Carmel.
The Dragon boys finished 10th out of 12 teams in the junior/senior race with 258 places. Zionsville won the event with a score of 52, beating North Central (60) and Columbus North (70).
The Dragon girls were ninth out of 11 teams in the junior/senior race with 230 places. Carmel won with a score of 56, followed by North Central (96) and Floyd Central (98).
In the boys junior/senior race, Colin Darley led the Dragons, running the 4K course in 14:18.3 and finishing 28th. Harrison Holloway was 52nd (15:01.3), Hayden Isaacs 71st (15:48.0), Isaac Poetz 101st and Connor Lapenta 104th.
Emily Adam led the Dragon girls in the junior/senior race, running the 4K course in 18:15.2. Caitlin Urrutia was 42nd (18:16.5), Lexi Baynes 50th (18:31.5), Emma Mann 51st (18:33.0) and Bailey Sleppy 92nd (20:22.0).
The Dragons were 10th of 13 teams in the freshman/sophomore boys race with 279 places. Jesse Isaacs was 62nd to lead the Dragons (15:34.5), with Jacob Collins 63rd (15:34.6), Charlie Rigsbee 64th (15:36.2), Gavin Smith 72nd and Cameron Mann 84th. Zionsville won the event with a score of 43, followed by Carmel (75).
The Dragons were 11th of 12 teams in the girls freshman/sophomore race with a score of 271. Noblesville (42) won the event, followed by Carmel (87). Courtney Study led the Dragons with a 27th-place finish (17:21.0). Jocelynn Flagle was 71st (18:45.1), Anne Bauer 75th (18:55.2), Cami Massari 113th and Addiley Yoder 150th.
Cougars place fifth in Richmond
The Greenfield-Central girls cross-country team finished fifth overall at the Richmond Hares and Hounds Invitational at IU East on Saturday.
The Cougars tallied 120 points. East Central won the event with 33 points. Southport (68) was second. New Castle (76) was third. Richmond (80) placed fourth. Marion (149) was sixth.
Emma Bogle led the Cougars, finishing 19th. She was followed by Reagan Crouch (22nd), Lexi Copeland (25th), Alyssa Siegel (28th), Madelyn King (45th), Emily Wright (49th) and Josie Joyner (52nd).
Marauders take second at Plainfield
Mt. Vernon’s boys cross-country team finished second in a 13-team field at the Plainfield Hokum Karem on Saturday.
Westfield won the event.
Mt. Vernon was led by the fourth-place pair of Austin Rush and Joseph Blagrave, who finished with a combined time of just over 31 minutes for the six-mile relay.
Samuel Wilson and Colin Strachman placed seventh. MV’s third pair of runners, freshmen Landon Willis and Ahmed Saleh were 19th.
Marauders’ XC finishes third
The Mt. Vernon girls cross-country team finished third at the Plainfield Hokum Karem on Saturday.
The senior duo of Lydia Carrell and Morgan Tharp placed fourth overall to lead the Marauders, followed by strong runs from the tandems of Allie Jenson/Alex Overshiner and Melinda Cornelius/Emma Gale.
Westfield won the event with Franklin Community coming in second. Cathedral was fourth, followed by Plainfield and Pike. Whiteland was seventh and Greenwood took eighth.
Girls Golf
Marauders win at home
The Mt. Vernon girls golf team defeated visiting Covenant Christian 159-191 on Monday at Arrowhead Golf Course.
Mt. Vernon’s Alaina Nugent led the Marauders by carding a 38, while freshman Izzy VanHeel shot a personal-best 40.
Cougars win triangular meet
The Greenfield-Central girls golf team bested both Franklin Central and New Palestine on Monday.
The Cougars shot a 194 to win, while Franklin Central and New Palestine carded 199 and 206, respectively.
Katie Curry shot a 43 to earn medalist honors. Sydnie Wherry fired a 47. Brynn Elliott added a 49. Abby Mulligan had a 55.
New Palestine’s Zoe Nelson led the Dragons with a 44. Kate Stanfield shot 50. Ava Hasecuster and Janie Hamilton each shot 56s.
Boys Tennis
Dragons fall to Eagles
The New Palestine boys tennis team traveled to powerhouse Delta Monday and fought hard in a 4-1 loss to the Eagles.
Jackson Havel/Moses Haynes dominated their Eagle foes, winning 6-1, 6-2 for the Dragons’ victory. Colin Darley and Caleb Davis also played competitive matches at No. 2 and No. 3 singles.
