MEDORA — The high school was populated throughout the day in Medora, as the school hosted the Southern Roads Conference Volleyball Tournament over the weekend.

The Hornets (5-19) won their opening match with Columbus Christian, before falling to Lighthouse Christian Academy and Cannelton.

Medora Head Coach Hanna Hinderlider spoke on the entire day for the Hornets.

“I thought we played really well against Columbus Christian and Lighthouse Christian, but we fell apart when we played against Cannelton,” Hinderlider said. “We are capable of beating them, and we already had in a regular season game.”

The Hornets opened the tournament with Columbus Christian, defeating the Crusaders in three sets, 25-14, 22-25, and 15-8 to advance to the second round of the tourney.

Medora started off on the right foot, leading the Crusaders 4-0 to open the contest. After some back-and-forth action, it was still 9-4 in favor of the Hornets.

Kills from Winter Thompson and Lilian Hatchett vaulted the lead to 9. It then became 24-14 in favor of Medora before Columbus rallied to make it a seven-point game. After a Medora serve the Crusaders would make an error, giving the Hornets the first set 25-14.

Columbus came out with some better plays in the second set, leading 11-6 before a timeout was called. It then became 15-8 before Medora went on a 6-2 run to make it 17-14 in favor of the Crusaders. The Hornets battled to the end but lost the second set 25-22.

A huge run in the third and final set propelled Medora to a win. Brelee Underwood scored the decisive point to end the match with a 15-8 final set victory.

In the second game, Medora fell to Lighthouse in the opening set 25-15, before losing 25-9. Cannelton won their match over Medora 25-22, and 25-15. Despite the two losses, Hinderlider found some positives throughout the day.

We played the net well today, and our passing was good too, she said. “It was great to see us digging the ball a lot more than in our last couple of games.”

The Hornets are sitting at 5-19 on the season and have a little more than a week left of regular season action. Medora is back in action tonight at Shoals for a match at 6 p.m.

Coach Hinderlider spoke about what she enjoys most about coaching these girls.

“Witnessing their improvement from the start of the season to the end,” Hinderlider said. “Being at a small school like Medora means that our team is tight-knit, and I cherish the close relationships that develop with each of the girls.”

The team travels to Switzerland County tomorrow before hosting Dugger Union on Friday night before traveling to Tabernacle Christian for the final game next Monday.

All these games are scheduled for a 6 p.m. start.

Coach Hinderlider spoke on some things to continue improving on before the postseason begins in the middle of October.

“I believe our communication and confidence are key areas we need to focus on before the postseason,” she said. “Effective communication plays a big role on the floor, and it’s something we struggle with at times. Additionally, I think we need to build our confidence, especially when facing bigger schools. Sometimes the girls seem to feel defeated before the game even starts, and that mindset can impact our performance.”

The pairings for Sectionals are this Sunday at 7 p.m. These are streamed exclusively on IHSAAtv.org.

Lighthouse Christian Academy would win the SRC Tournament, defeating Pleasant View in the final after defeating Medora in the semifinal. Cannelton defeated the Hornets in the third-place game.

SRC Tournament — Saturday

Medora 2, Columbus Christian 1

Medora def. Columbus Christian, 25-14, 22-25, 15-8.

Serve-Attempt-Aces

Serving: Josie Bowers, 14-14-3, Lilian Hatchett, 8-11-4, Winter Thompson, 8-8-2, Brelee Underwood, 6-9-3, Madison Reece, 5-8-1, Isabella Spence, 4-7, team 42-57-13

Attempts-Total-Kills

Hitting: Brelee Underwod, 30-32-5, Lilian Hatchett, 16-22-8, Madison Reece, 14-15-6, team, 67-78-21.

Assists: Josie Bowers 13.

Digs: Isabella Spence 7, Madison Reece 5, Winter Thompson 4.

Cannelton 2, Medora 0

Cannelton def. Medora, 25-22, 25-15.

Serve-Attempt-Aces

Serving: Brelee Underwood, 6-8-1, Lilian Hatchett, 6-7-1, Madison Reece, 5-8, Isabella Spence, 5-6, Josie Bowers, 5-5, team, 29-38-2.

Attempts-Total-Kills

Hitting: Lilian Hatchett, 14-18-3, Brelee Underwood, 11-12-7, Madison Reece, 12-17-3, Josie Bowers, 13-13-2, team, 55-66-19.

Assists: Josie Bowers 12.

Digs: Madison Reece 8, Josie Bowers 7, Breonna Evans 6.

Lighthouse Christian 2, Medora 0

Lighthouse Christian def. Medora, 25-15, 25-9.