No. 1 Eagles soar to wins

LITTLE RIVER — The Ellinwood Lady Eagles opened their 2025 volleyball season with a statement, taking down two ranked opponents in front of a packed and energized  crowd at Little River.

No. 1 ranked 2A Ellinwood edged No. 8-ranked 2A Hillsboro 25-19, 26-24. The Eagles controlled the pace early and held off a late Trojan push to secure a straight-set victory.

The anticipation only grew as Ellinwood faced off against Class 1A defending state champions Little River in the night’s marquee matchup. After dropping the opening set 20-25, the Eagles dug deep, answering with back-to-back wins 25-15, 25-21 to take the match.

“Nights like these playing great teams are what you want and need to prepare your team for the big moments to come,” said Ellinwood volleyball coach Greg Maxwell. “Little River and Hillsboro are both proven state championship caliber programs we respect tremendously. To come away with two victories was a good start for us. I was proud our girls fought through the adversity of dropping the first set against Little River and finished the match by making plays at crucial moments. We have a lot of work to do, but I saw a lot of great things tonight from a lot of girls.”

The junior varsity Eagles swept Hillsboro 25-20, 25-13 and Little River 25-10, 25-19.