photo by: Chris Duderstadt

Lawrence High sophomore Baylee Unruh lunges for a dig in the first set of the Lions' loss to Olathe North in their home triangular. Unruh was second on the team in digs for the triangular with 21.

Lawrence High’s volleyball team was not at full strength for its home triangular against Shawnee Mission East and Olathe North Thursday, but the Lions did not make any excuses after their losses to the Lancers and Eagles.

The Lions lost to the Lancers (25-12, 25-21) before falling in three sets to the Eagles (25-22, 21-25, 25-8). Junior Katelyn Mask — who is recovering from a concussion — was sidelined for the triangular, and sophomore libero Lauren Maceli played despite feeling under the weather.

“I just tried not to think about it and know that I had to play like really well to beat those teams even though we lost,” Maceli said.

Although Maceli did not feel 100 percent, Lawrence High coach Stephanie Magnuson felt that the sophomore libero was at the top of her game. Maceli had a team-high 33 total digs for the triangular, and also had two aces against the Eagles.

“She’s the same as everybody else — just getting better every single day,” Magnuson said. “Tonight, despite being sick, she played probably the best I’ve seen her play all season.”

Maceli and the Lions were facing an uphill battle for most of the night after trailing in the early stages of each game against the Lancers and the Eagles. The Lions trailed 15-4 to open the second set against the Lancers, but pulled within three points on three different occasions.

Maceli said that it is imperative for the Lions to get off to faster starts, especially against one the Sunflower League’s top squads like the Lancers — who are ranked No. 6 in Class 6A.

“It’s hard to come back against a really good team,” Maceli said. “You have to start off strong or else it’s going to be harder to win.”

The late-charging Lions were able to win the second set against the Eagles in comeback fashion. LHS trailed 20-18 before back-to-back aces from sophomore Baylee Unruh sparked a 7-1 run to close out the set. Unruh received a few tips and encouragement from Magnuson before stepping up to serve, and the advice worked.

“I’m like, ‘All I need to do is serve to this girl, and that’s my job,'” Unruh remembered telling herself alter talking to Magnuson. “I served tough, and I got a few aces out of it.”

Unruh filled the stat sheet with 21 total digs and 11 kills to go along with the two aces. Despite the momentum from that the Lions had going into the final set, it quickly went away after the Eagles scored the first seven points of the third.

The Lions (8-17) will play again on Tuesday at home for their senior night against Topeka Hayden, Manhattan and Washburn Rural. Seniors Alexia Anglin, Abby Percich and Amelia Dunlap will all be recognized at their final regular-season competition at LHS.

“We just want to get better every single day,” Magnuson said. “Tuesday night is our senior night, so we want to honor our seniors with the best effort and the best energy that we can bring next Tuesday.”