Thunder get back on track with win over Union Star

By Phil Cobb | October 13, 2026 |

ANTHONY CRANE/THE FORUM
Nodaway Valley sophomore Sunni Sharp hits Tuesday in Union Star.

UNION STAR, Mo. – The Nodaway Valley Thunder just needed a win Tuesday night at Union Star. The Thunder had lost five of seven with just two matches left before the start of the district tournament but got back on track with a 3-0 win over the Union Star Trojans.

“We just played really well tonight,” sophomore Miley Jenkins said. “When we got kills, we really got out energy up and kept our energy up. Even when we got down a little bit, we picked each other up and kept each other up.”

The Thunder used that energy to start the match with their best set of the night. The Trojans scored the first point of the set, but that’s about as close as the two teams would be the remainder of the set.

Nodaway Valley started with a 5-1 run led by sophomore Sunni Sharp’s two kills. A Gracie Larabee kill helped the Thunder to a 9-2 lead.

“I think tonight it was Sunni that really brought the energy,” Jenkins said. “She was the one that really got us pumped and everything.”

The Trojans cut the deficit to four, but two kills from senior Chloe Wenger and another from Larabee pushed the lead to 14-7. The Thunder controlled the set the rest of the way, with Sharp adding two aces her busy first set. Nodaway Valley secured the 25-14 win with a kill from Larabee.

“We came out talking, moving our feet a lot, and really playing as a team,” Sharp said.

Union Star proved to be a little more trouble in the second set of the night. Annalee Livengood started the set with an ace, but back-to-back kills saw the Trojans take the early lead.

It was back-and-forth until the Thunder put some space between the two teams with a 3-0 run. Nodaway Valley held a multiple point lead until a 5-1 run cut the Thunder lead to one at 12-11.

“We got a little down and let off the gas a little bit,” Sharp said. “But we got back up, got in a groove and that’s how we pulled off the third set.”

Nodaway Valley had its best run of the set, starting with kills from Larabee and Sharp. Larabee pushed the run to 6-0 with four-straight aces and an 18-11 lead for the Thunder.

The Trojans last gasp brought them to within three before a 5-0 run gave the Thunder a 25-17 win.

“We played really well in that first set, but our energy was low in the second set,” Jenkins said. “We need to keep our energy up the whole time, we have a problem with keep that energy up in the second set.”

The third set started with a 5-2 run for Nodaway Valley with four combined kills from Larabee and Sharp. Union Star’s answer was a 5-0 run to take their latest lead in a set in the match.

The remainder of the set was dominated by the Thunder, ending the set with a 19-7 run to earn their 17th win of the season. It’s the third-straight season with at least 17 wins for Nodaway Valley.

The Thunder will end the regular season at home on Thursday with the North Nodaway Mustangs. The team will then prepare for Class 1, District 16 play on Tuesday where they begin the postseason with another Union Star matchup.

“For next week we’re really working on our coverage, staying low, and making sure to talk,” Sharp said. “Talking kind of gets us, but once we do all that we just have to work as a team.”