Platte County’s week started with another first, winning a Suburban Conference White Division matchup over Fort Osage on Tuesday. The Pirates weren’t perfect across three matches but maintained a winning record.
Platte County senior Bryton Bertram goes up for a spike against Grandview on Thursday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
As part of a triangular, Platte County swept Fort Osage and lost to Grain Valley in Independence, and on Thursday, the Pirates took a best-of-five matchup at home to improve to 9-6-1 overall in their inaugural season.
Platte County held on late for a 25-17, 27-25 victory over Fort Osage behind eight kills for senior Bryton Bertram, who a day earlier made a commitment to continue his career at Graceland University official. Jokubas Lebedevas, one of the Pirates’ standout juniors, added a pair of service aces and five more kills.
The defensive backline proved strong with junior Joshua Echeverry, Platte County’s leading attacker on the season who finished with four kills, leading the way at 11 digs. Pirates senior William Babcock added 10, while Lebedevas (nine) and Bertram (eight) just missed finishing in double digits.
Platte County stands at 1-1 in conference play after closing Tuesday with a loss to Grain Valley, which overcame 11 attack errors for a 25-19, 25-20 sweep.
Echeverry (six kills) and Bertram (five kills) accounted for almost all of Platte County’s offense, while senior setter Alex Stinson — another signee during Wednesday’s ceremony with his destination Ottawa University — posted six assists. The Pirates also finished with three service aces, two from junior libero Preston Cavan.
Lebedevas and Babcock shared the team-high of seven digs, while Cavan added six.
Platte County has yet to win more than three straight this season after opening 3-0, but the Pirates again rebounded from Tuesday’s loss with a 25-18, 25-19, 25-21 sweep of Grandview at Pirate Fieldhouse. Echeverry led the way with nine kills, while Bertram and junior Drake White added seven apiece.
Babcock posted a career-high six service aces with Platte County totaling 11 overall. Stinson, who led the Pirates with 13 assists, and Bertram added two apiece. Cooper Miles, a freshman and the other half of a two-setter rotation, finished with 10 assists.
