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PREP SOFTBALL: Local players named to All-COC team

The All-Central Ozark Conference Softball Team for 2021 is posted below.

 

2021 Central Ozark Conference Softball Team

  • Player of the Year – Abby Ford, Senior – Ozark
  • Conference Champions – Nixa (9-0)

1st Team (*Denotes unanimous selection)

  • Madison Meierer, Junior – Nixa*
  • Phoebe Gardner, Junior – Nixa*
  • Jensyn Elder, Senior – Carthage*
  • Abby Ford, Senior – Ozark*
  • Lili Graue, Senior – Neosho*
  • Kaylyn Gilbert, Senior – Webb City
  • Sierra Daily, Junior – Branson
  • Sydni Fletcher, Senior – Willard
  • Jordyn Foley, Junior – Ozark
  • Mara Lakey, Senior – Republic
  • Emmalee Essary, Junior – Republic
  • Jadyn Pankow, Freshman – Joplin

 

2nd Team

  • Natalie Rodriguez, Senior – Carthage
  • Savannah Hughes, Junior – Ozark
  • Langley Miller, Senior – Branson
  • Peyton Hawkins, Senior – Webb City
  • Madi Olds, Freshman – Carl Junction
  • Alyson Miller, Sophomore – Willard
  • McKaylie Forrest, Junior – Neosho
  • Chloe Krans, Junior – Nixa
  • Dakota Hale, Senior – Nixa
  • Presley Probert, Senior – Carthage
  • Hannah Wells, Senior – Webb City
  • Kenna Mayfield, Senior – Ozark

 

Honorable Mention

  • April Zeno, Senior – Nixa
  • Beclynn Garrett, Freshman – Neosho
  • Emma Welch, Senior – Webb City
  • Ally Dicken, Junior – Branson
  • Bailey Ledford, Sophomore – Joplin
  • Landry Cochran, Junior – Carthage
  • Ryley Ritchey, Senior – Willard
  • Jenna Belcher, Sophomore- Republic

DISTRICT VOLLEYBALL: Second-seeded Joplin upsets top-seeded Carthage in the district championship

For the first time in more than 20 years, the Joplin volleyball program will be competing in the sectional round of the state tournament.

On Monday, the second-seeded Eagles trailed 1-0 after the opening set before rallying to win the final three games over top-seeded Carthage 21-25, 25-17, 25-20 and 25-22 for a 3-1 victory in the Class 5 District 12 championship inside Kaminsky Gymnasium. 

“It’s so exciting for these kids,” first-year Joplin coach Desiree Felker said. “They have worked so hard all year. They are the hardest working group of kids I have ever met. There were several times this season where we could have said, ‘things are getting a little too difficult, I don’t know that I want to keep putting in the work.’ But they showed up everyday and did not quit. I think their play tonight shows that. After that first set, we could have gotten down, but we came roaring back and we never looked back after that.”

“I think that Joplin played a really amazing game and we did not,” Carthage coach Bradyn Webb said. “I do think that there are positives out of this. Sophie Shannon played the best game I have ever seen her play. And I think we stepped up on defense a lot.

“But I said before the game that Joplin was going to serve aggressively at us, and we did not handle that well. If we pass a little bit better and get into system more, it is a totally different game.”

It is the first district title for the Eagles volleyball program since the 1996 season.

“In the locker room before the game we talked about how nerves are normal in situations like this,” Felker said. “But I reminded them that they were prepared for this. We have prepared them for this and they were ready to do what it takes to win a district championship. Some of these kids were in this situation last year against Lee’s Summit West, and I think they were able to build off of that experience a little bit.”

Carthage closes the season with an 18-14-1 record and graduates seniors Olivia Bourgault, Sydnee Dudolski, Grace Pickering and Shannon.

“This group has been great,” Webb said of her seniors. “When I first met with them before the season, they said they wanted to be a different group. They wanted to lead in a different way than they’d seen in the past, and they really have. They stepped up and led in every single way possible, on the court or off the court. … I am really proud of them and the way they have changed the culture of the program. I am hoping our underclassmen can learn from that.”

“I am really proud of them,” Webb added about the season as a whole for her Tigers. “I think they exceeded expectations. We’ve had to face a lot of adversity this year, and we have really powered through it. Our girls have really stepped up to the challenge. Obviously, it didn’t work out in our favor tonight and we got outplayed, but I always tell my girls that volleyball does not define them—their character and how they work does. I think they showed that tonight. They gave 100 percent.”

Joplin (15-11-5) advances to the sectional round and plays on the road against the winner of the District 11 tournament between top-seeded Nixa (29-4) and second-seeded Kickapoo (26-7) at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.

GAME ACTION

Joplin and Carthage played even in the opening set before a five-point run by Dudolski gave the Tigers a 12-5 lead. The run was fueled by the defensive play at the net from Shannon, who registered a pair of blocks, with Mia Camarillo adding a kill.

Carthage built a 17-8 lead before a kill from Joplin’s Angelina Schramm forced a sideout, with Jayla Hunter taking service. Hunter proceeded to get the Eagles back into the game with a four-point run that included three aces to cut the deficit to 17-13. The Eagles later used a kill from Emma Floyd, a block from Bailey Owens, an ace from Allie Lawrence and another block by Owens to come all the way back and tie the first set at 21-21. 

Carthage senior Sophie Shannon earns a kill in the Tigers’ loss to Joplin in the district title game on Monday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

The Tigers scored the final four points of the set to earn the win. Joplin committed three errors and Bourgault recorded an ace. 

“We got down early in that first set and we stopped, took a couple of timeouts, kind of refocused and settled in,” Felker said. “We just reminded them they had what it took. They just had to clean it up and play their game. I think they responded and did that.”

Midway through the second set with the Eagles leading 13-11, Hunter came up with another big service run, eight straight points, which propelled Joplin to a commanding 21-11 advantage. Hunter had an ace, while Schramm picked up three kills and a block.

“All season we’ve known she can do big things for us behind the service line,” Felker said of Hunter’s work in service. “At practice, she gives our passers a run for their money. She is very calm and collected, and you can tell her to put the ball anywhere and she is going to go after that person. I think that her getting those two early runs gave them the confidence we needed to push through those early moments.”

Lawrence picked up two more kills and Emma Floyd added a kill before Abby Edwards finished off the second set with a kill.

The Eagles had a marginal lead early in the third set before Joplin used a 6-1 run to build a 12-5 lead. Schramm had two kills and a block, while Edwards added a kill and Floyd a block.

Carthage responded right away with a four-point run on Raven Probert’s serve to trim the lead to 12-9. Abby Holderbaum had a block and a kill, while Pickering added a kill to fill out the run.

Back to back kills from Owens later in the set pushed the lead to 19-16, with Edwards earning consecutive kills moments later to push the lead to 22-18 and eventually sent the Eagles to the win.

Camarillo registered a kill early in the fourth set to tie the game at 6-6, but that was the last time the Tigers would find themselves even with the Eagles. Joplin pushed the lead to 11-6 on kills from Schramm and Owens. The Eagles methodically pushed their lead to 20-12 on a block and kill from Floyd. A block from Schramm late brought Joplin to game, set and match point at 24-17.

Joplin senior Angelina Schramm tips a kill in the Eagles’ win over Carthage in the district title game inside Kaminsky Gymnasium on Monday. Photo by Shawn Fowler.

“She doesn’t know how to quit,” Felker said of Schramm’s play in the win. “I think her teammates respond to that. She picks them up and lets them know, ‘we’re fine, let’s keep going.’ … Players respond to a teammate who is not only able to tell you how to do something but are willing to go out and go after it fearlessly.”

The Tigers didn’t go away quietly, however. Carthage ripped off the next five points in a row, including multiple kills from Dudolski, to bring the score to 24-22, but an error in service ended the rally and preserved the win for Joplin.

“You have to give credit to Carthage because they didn’t go away,” Felker said. “It would have been very easy to go away when we were up big in that fourth set. But, I think we were able to maintain our composure there at the end when Carthage was giving us a run for our money. I am really proud of our kids for that. They did what they needed to do to get the job done.”

STATS

Schramm led Joplin with 12 kills, six digs and four blocks, while Floyd added eight kills and four blocks. Edwards had seven kills and three digs, while Lawrence had six kills and 11 digs. Hunter finished with six aces and a team-high 21 digs, with Paisley Parker earning 19 digs. Abby Hembree finished with 17 assists and Kaya Cooper added 16 assists and seven digs.

Dudolski led Carthage with 13 kills and 13 digs. Pickering added seven kills and a block, while Camarillo (four digs) and Holderbaum (two blocks) each had six kills. Shannon led the team with eight blocks and added three kills. Bourgault had 18 digs to lead the Tigers defensively, while Probert finished with a team-high 31 assists.

DISTRICT VOLLEYBALL: College Heights claims district crown with win over Jasper

 

JASPER, Mo. — In what could be described as a nail-biter, top-seeded College Heights edged second-seeded Jasper 3-2 (23-25, 25-21, 25-27, 25-17, 17-15) on Monday in the championship match of the Class 1 District 9 volleyball tournament. 

College Heights (17-13-2) will host the District 10 champion (Miller or Greenfield) at 6:30 on Thursday in the sectional round of the state tournament. 

Miller and Greenfield meet at 6 on Tuesday.

On Monday, College Heights’ Addie Lawrence recorded 25 kills and three aces, while Lauren Ukena had 20 kills, 18 digs and three aces.

Maddy Colin handed out 42 assists and served three aces.

Ava Masena had 25 digs and 22 service points, while Lindsay Griesemer compiled 20 digs and 20 service points.

Jasper ends the season at 22-11-2.

DISTRICT VOLLEYBALL: Webb City starts fast, finishes strong in upset victory over Carl Junction

 

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — When nearly two and a half hours of intense volleyball concluded, the Webb City Cardinals were the team hoisting a district championship plaque into the air. 

With a fast start and a strong finish, second-seeded Webb City knocked off top-seeded Carl Junction 3-2 in the title match of the Class 4 District 12 tournament on Monday night at Carl Junction High School.

In a five-set thriller, the Cardinals defeated the Bulldogs 28-26, 25-15, 23-25, 20-25 and 15-10. 

“I’m so proud of them,” Webb City coach Rhonda Lawrence said. “CJ is a great team. We were definitely the underdog coming in. I don’t think anybody is going to believe it’s going to say Webb City instead of them. But I felt like we played strategically and very smart. It was a great match. We really stepped it up as a team and were locked in with each other. We settled in and the girls did their jobs.”

Webb City’s Kate Brownfield slams a kill at the net during Monday’s district championship match against Carl Junction. Photo by Israel Perez.

After capturing a second district title in three seasons, the Cardinals (19-12-2) will meet the to-be-determined champion of District 11 in the sectional round of the state tournament at 6:30 on Thursday night. 

Meeting in a district championship match has become a regular occurrence for these Central Ozark Conference rivals. The Bulldogs beat the Cardinals in last year’s district title game after Webb City topped Carl Junction in the 2019 championship match. 

“We see these guys a lot and we tried to make some adjustments in our offense to help us score better,” Lawrence said. “Hat’s off to CJ. They have a great program. We make each other better. Iron sharpens iron. That’s why we’re always here.” 

This year’s postseason meeting was a hard-fought, back-and-forth clash that went the Cardinals’ way. Lawrence noted getting off to a good start by winning the opening set was crucial for her squad, especially after the Bulldogs topped the Cardinals 3-0 just three weeks ago. 

“Winning that first set gets the monkey off your back and you’ve got the momentum,” Lawrence said. 

Carl Junction, in a district championship match for the sixth straight season, ends the season with a record of 24-11. 

“I thought we played really tight and under a lot of pressure, especially in the first two sets,” Carl Junction coach Cheryl Sharples said. “We made a lot of errors. But they forced us into some situations and we didn’t handle them real well.”

Down 2-0, the Bulldogs won the third and fourth sets.

“We never quit,” Sharples added. “We were making some aggressive errors, but our kids never quit. I’ve been proud of them for that all year. When Jessa (Hylton) went out, we could have easily been done. But they stepped up and we had a great year.”

 

MATCH RECAP

All five sets were close.

The first set was deadlocked at 26 when Webb City’s Kearston Galardo slammed a kill before a hitting error on the Bulldogs gave the decision to the visitors. 

The second set was tied at 15, but Webb City grabbed the momentum with Kate Brownfield serving. The Cardinals rattled off 10 straight points. 

The third set was tied at 22 when the Bulldogs scored three of the next four points.

Carl Junction pulled away late in the fourth set, with Destiny Buerge serving a pair of aces. A kill from Kylie Scott finished off the set and forced a deciding fifth set.

In the finale set, Webb City went ahead right away with leads of 6-3 and 8-5. Galardo, Aubree Lassiter and Brenda Lawrence all had kills late in the set to give the Cardinals the win.

Lawrence noted she was proud her squad kept its composure after dropping two straight sets. And of course, getting a lead early in the final set proved key. 

“After the second set, I told our kids that Carl Junction wasn’t going to lay down,” Lawrence said. “They are used to this. We’ve played in a lot of four or five set matches. In the fifth set, you’ve got to go fast. That 15 points goes quick. You have to be on target.” 

 

NAMES & NUMBERS

A senior outside hitter, Galardo had 15 kills, eight digs and four aces for the Cardinals. Junior outside hitter Brenda Lawrence recorded 15 kills, while junior outside hitter Brownfield added nine kills and nine digs. 

A sophomore outside hitter, Lassiter added four kills and four blocks, while senior middle blocker Makenzie Storm had three kills and seven digs. Junior defensive specialist Jenna Noel chipped in five digs.

Webb City junior Kyah Sanborn handed out 41 assists and had 14 digs from the setter position, while sophomore libero Sophia Crane had a team-high 16 digs.

Carl Junction junior outside hitter Destiny Buerge tips the ball over the net during Monday’s match with Webb City.

A junior outside hitter, Buerge led the Bulldogs with 21 kills and 17 digs, while Scott, a sophomore middle hitter, added 14 kills. 

Freshman outside hitter Karissa Chase contributed eight kills and five blocks, while senior defensive specialist Ellie Lawson served five aces.

Junior setter Logan Jones, an Arkansas recruit, handed out 46 assists. 

Carl Junction’s seniors were Hylton, Lawson, Olivia Vediz, Maisen McCluney, Abigale Wilson, Maggie Brown and Delani Mertens. A standout outside hitter, Hylton suffered a season-ending injury on Sept. 30. 

“Our seniors are a great group of kids,” Sharples said. “They’ve been playing since they were really young. All of them contributed in big ways. It was hard to say goodbye to them.” 

 

Note: The District 11 title match between Willard and Logan-Rogersville is scheduled for Tuesday night. The Cardinals own a win over Rogersville and have lost to Willard. 

 

Webb City sophomore libero Sophia Crane is pictured during Monday’s district championship match at Carl Junction. Photos by Israel Perez/SoMo Sports.

 

Carl Junction junior setter Logan Jones is pictured during Monday’s Class 4 District 12 championship game.

 

PREP FOOTBALL: Missouri Media releases latest rankings

 

The latest Missouri Media high school football rankings, as compiled by a 10-member panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, are posted below.

At the end of the regular season, Joplin is ranked fifth in Class 6. Carthage is ranked second in Class 5, with Webb City fourth. 

McDonald County and Nevada are ranked eighth and 10th in Class 4, while Aurora is 10th in Class 3. Lamar is No. 1 in Class 2. 

The rankings will not be updated until state championship games have been completed.

The panel is made up of Dion Clisso, PrepsKC; Cody Thorn, The Examiner; Dave Kvidahl, STLHighschoolsports.com; Tom Rackers, Jefferson City News-Tribune; Chris Parker, Ozone Sports; Brandon Zenner, The St. Joseph News-Press; J.B. Connoley, KRES radio; Matt King, The Daily Journal; Jason Peake, SOMO-Sports.com; Brian Rosener, Poplar Bluff Daily American Republic.

 

MISSOURI MEDIA RANKINGS

First-place votes in parenthesis.

CLASS 6

Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW

  1. CBC (6), 8-1, 96, T1 
  2. Liberty North (4), 7-1, 94, T1  
  3. Lee’s Summit North, 8-1, 77, 3  
  4. DeSmet, 7-2, 70, 4
  5. Joplin, 8-1, 60, 5
  6. Park Hill South, 9-0, 43, 7 

7T. Francis Howell, 8-1, 33, 8

7T. Nixa, 7-2, 33, 6

  1. Raymore-Peculiar, 7-2, 20, 9
  2. Marquette, 8-1, 19, NR

Dropped out: No. 10 Hazelwood Central

Also receiving votes: Lindbergh (8-1), 4; Liberty (6-3), 1

 

CLASS 5

Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW

  1. Jackson (6), 9-0, 96, 1
  2. Carthage (4), 9-0, 94, 2  
  3. Holt, 9-0, 80, 3 
  4. Webb City, 6-3, 59, T4 
  5. Platte County, 7-2, 57, T4  
  6. Jefferson City Helias, 8-1, 56, 6
  7. Lebanon, 8-1, 37, 7  
  8. Rockwood Summit, 9-0, 33, 8
  9. Fort Osage, 8-1, 23, 9
  10. Ladue, 8-1, 12, 10  

Also receiving votes: Grain Valley (6-3), 3

 

CLASS 4

Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW

  1. Smithville (9), 8-0, 99, 1
  2. MICDS (1), 9-0, 90, 2  
  3. Hannibal, 9-0, 81, 3
  4. West Plains, 8-1, 67, 4
  5. Union, 9-0, 56, 5
  6. Lincoln College Prep, 9-0, 54, 6
  7. Hillsboro, 8-1, 35, 9 
  8. McDonald County, 8-1, 29, 10 
  9. Vashon, 7-1, 27, 7
  10. Nevada, 7-2, 11, NR 

Dropped out: No. 8 McCluer

Also receiving votes: St. Dominic (5-4), 1

 

CLASS 3

Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW

  1. St. Mary’s (10), 7-1, 100, 1 
  2. Valle Catholic, 9-0, 90, 2
  3. St. Pius X, 8-1, 78, 4 
  4. Odessa, 8-1, 68, 5
  5. Lutheran North, 6-3, 52, 6
  6. Boonville, 7-2, 51, 3
  7. Park Hills Central, 8-1, 45, 7
  8. Blair Oaks, 7-2, 32, 8
  9. Center, 5-3, 14, 9  
  10. Aurora, 7-2, 11, 10 

Also receiving votes: Mexico (7-2), 9  

 

CLASS 2

Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW

  1. Lamar (10), 9-0, 100, 1
  2. Fair Grove, 9-0, 85, 2 
  3. Hallsville, 9-0, 84, 3 
  4. Ava, 9-0, 59, 4  
  5. Butler, 9-0, 52, 5 
  6. Lutheran St. Charles, 7-2, 51, 6 
  7. Lafayette County, 8-1, 46, 7

8T. Duchesne, 7-2, 26, T8 

8T. Richmond, 8-1, 26, T8 

  1. Bowling Green, 8-0, 20, 10

Also receiving votes: New Madrid County Central (7-1), 1     

 

CLASS 1

Rank, team, Rec., Pts., LW

1T. Mid Buchanan (6), 9-0, 92, 2 

1T. Windsor (4), 9-0, 92, 1

  1. Hayti, 8-0, 79, 3 
  2. Marionville, 9-0, 76, 4
  3. East Buchanan, 8-1, 58, 5
  4. Marceline, 8-1, 47, T6  
  5. Monroe City, 8-1, 40, T6  
  6. Fayette, 8-1, 23, 9 
  7. West Platte, 7-2, 18, 8
  8. Skyline, 6-3, 11, NR  

 

Dropped out: No. 10 Thayer

Also receiving votes: Hamilton-Penney (6-3), 7; Thayer (6-3), 4; Harrisburg (7-2), 2; Mark Twain (8-1), 1