BonnerSprings.com

In recent years, the Bonner Springs volleyball team has spent about as much time driving to and from Baldwin as it has spent actually playing at the Baldwin Invitational Tournament.

“In years past, we have gone home by noon,” BSHS coach Heather Campbell recalled.

Not this year.

The Braves — already off to their best start in recent memory — continued their solid early-season play as they battled to a sixth-place finish Saturday at Baldwin High School.

The Braves finished the tournament with a 3-3 mark, and they improved their season record to 8-8.

“We played hard, and it was nice to finally get out of pool play at this tournament,” Campbell said. “It was a first since I have been a part of the volleyball program.”

The Braves opened pool play with a 25-20, 25-21 victory against Oskaloosa and then dropped a match to Blue Valley Southwest, 25-15, 25-16. BSHS then defeated Perry-Lecompton, 25-18, 25-18, before falling to Mill Valley, 25-14, 25-11.

Bonner Springs then squared off with Osawatomie in the consolation semifinals and won a hard-fought three-game match, 25-20, 23-25, 25-19. That set up a meeting against Baldwin in the fifth-place match. The Bulldogs beat BSHS in three games earlier this season, and they again needed three games to hold off the Braves, 25-22, 24-26, 25-18.

“Wish we could have gotten our revenge on Baldwin in the fifth-place game because we again took them to three games, but (we) just didn’t have quite enough to get the ‘W,’” Campbell said.

Gardner-Edgerton won the tournament, Mill Valley placed second, Paola was third and Blue Valley Southwest took fourth.

Bonner Springs next plays at 6 p.m. Tuesday at home against Piper in a best-of-five match. Then the Braves travel to Gardner-Edgerton on Thursday to face GEHS and BVSW.

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