Manhattan High volleyball bounced back from an opening loss to finish 4-1 at its home invitational Saturday, as the Indians continued preparing for the postseason.
The Indians (25-8) enter the final stretch of the regular season ranked No. 3 in the Class 6A West standings, securing home-court advantage for sub-state with two regular-season matches remaining.
Manhattan opened the tournament with a loss to league rival Washburn Rural, falling 25-15, 22-25, 25-16. The loss snapped a seven-match win streak before the Indians responded with four consecutive wins to finish the day.
The Indians rallied past Shawnee Heights in three sets, 24-26, 25-20, 25-19, then swept Olathe East 27-25, 25-19. Manhattan closed the day with straight-set wins over Derby, 25-15, 25-19, and Junction City, 25-12, 25-14.
With the postseason approaching, the Indians have their sights set on facing some of the teams that handed them losses earlier this season.
“We’re so excited. We’re hungry to beat the teams we’ve lost to before,” senior Evie Ruliffson said on senior night Thursday. “That’s our next goal — to beat someone we’ve lost to. We’re really excited to play those Kansas City teams again and see them in the postseason.”
Manhattan coach Nicole Jones said before the weekend that the Indians were happy with their position in the Class 6A West standings and the opportunity to host sub-state.
“This is exactly where we want to be,” she said. “We’re excited to see what happens in a week.”
The Indians will travel to Maize South on Thursday for its final two regular-season matches remaining before sub-state.