washvbleighton

The Washington Demons look to survive and advance in the high school volleyball playoffs when they travel to Davenport Assumption for the Class 3A Region 5 semifinals, and you can hear all the action tonight on KCII.

Washington is on a roll after Tuesday’s straight-sets victory over Mediapolis, winners of four straight matches and 13 of their last 20 as they come into this evening with an 18-15 record.

Junior Leighton Messinger continues to be a force at outside hitter for the Demons with a team-high 280 kills as well as 232 digs and 34 serving aces. Senior Ella Greiner has also been an impact player on the outside with 161 kills and team highs of 233 digs and 42 aces.

Junior Taylor Miksch and sophomore Layla Green are proving to be tough to stop at the net for Washington, combining for over 310 kills and 60 blocked shots, while senior setter Lauren Hinrichsen is closing in on handing out 650 assists and has also racked up 190 digs and 21 aces.

It all seems to be clicking at the right time for Washington, and head coach Aaron Six tells KCII Sports that his team’s A-game is one that gives them a shot to win every night.

“We’re playing some of our best volleyball at this time of year, and that’s what we want to see at this time,” Six says. “[The next match is] one that we’re going to have to go out and play quality volleyball. I think it’s one that, if the girls believe in themselves and play with that confidence, they’ve shown that they can compete with most anybody in the state.”

The Demons will be taking on an Assumption team that is 23-8 and finished the regular season ranked sixth in the state in Class 3A.

The Knights are not only a perennial powerhouse, with a trip to state every year since 2018, but they also have four players with over 100 kills this season and have nearly 300 blocks as a team, fifth-most in the state.

You can hear Washington playoff volleyball as the Demons duel Davenport Assumption tonight on 106.1 FM KCII and streaming on KCIIradio.com and the KCII1 app, starting with pregame coverage at 6:30.