With key performers unable to compete due to injuries, the Joplin High School volleyball team was not at full strength for Thursday’s Central Ozark Conference matchup with Republic.
And despite a solid effort, the shorthanded Eagles suffered a 3-1 setback to the Tigers inside Kaminsky Gymnasium.
Republic topped Joplin 25-23, 17-25, 25-19, 25-23 in a hard-fought and back-and-forth affair.
Joplin finished the night without senior setter Addison Saunders, who re-injured her left knee during the second set. The Eagles also took the court without junior middle blocker Kacy Coss, who did not play due to a possible abdominal strain.
Eagles coach Staci Saunders noted she was proud of her team’s effort.
“It was an interesting night,” Saunders said. “Kacy couldn’t play and then Addison goes down. She was begging her dad (Tracy) to play. We had our chances. Our decision-making was not the best down the stretch. Republic did what they needed to do to win. Hand it to Republic. They came to play. I thought both teams were evenly matched.”
Sophomore Abby Hembree earned lots of playing time at setter in Addison Saunders’ absence, while junior Logan Bruggeman saw plenty of court time at middle blocker with Coss unavailable.
Do-it-all senior outside hitter Aubrey Ritter once again led the Eagles with 18 digs, 16 service points and 16 kills. Junior Angelina Schramm had 10 kills and seven service points, while classmate Allie Lawrence contributed nine kills.
Hembree handed out 14 assists, while Baileigh Riley had 13 assists. Kaylie Anderson had a team-high 22 digs, while Paisley Parker added 10 digs. Emma Floyd contributed four kills and two blocks.
“I thought Aubrey, Angelina and Kaylie carried our team,” Saunders said. “I thought Emma and Logan both did a good job blocking.”
Republic (8-12-2, 2-4 COC) received 20 digs and 16 kills from Kaemyn Bekemeier, while Payge Plank handed out 49 assists.
The Eagles led the first set 14-9 after a service point from Ritter, but the Tigers stormed back. The set was tied at 23, but the Eagles committed a pair of attack errors.
Joplin led 12-5 in the second set when Addison Saunders went down with a knee injury. An ace from Hembree gave the Eagles a 15-6 lead. A late ace from Lawrence and a kill from Ritter gave the hosts the set victory.
“I thought we rallied once Addi got hurt,” Coach Saunders said. “The girls were concerned for Addi and I think they tried to rally around her. They wanted to get the job done for her.”
Clinging to an 18-15 lead, Republic finished strong in the third set to take a 2-1 advantage.
The fourth set was close all the way. A kill from Schramm tied the score at 16. The set was deadlocked at 18 when Lawrence slammed back-to-back kills to give the Eagles the lead.
Later, Ritter’s kill pushed Joplin in front 23-22. After the Tigers tied the set, an attack error gave the visitors a set and match point. The Eagles were unable to return a serve from Republic’s Plank, and the Tigers left town with a close win.
“We had some silly errors,” Saunders said. “When you have players on the court that aren’t used to playing together you’re going to have silly errors. They haven’t played together enough. We have to have a night where all six players on the court are all consistent. We’re struggling finding that consistency every night.”
Joplin (13-12-1, 1-5 COC) travels to Pittsburg on Monday night for a non-conference match with the Purple Dragons.
“We’re going to figure out a new lineup for next week,” Saunders said, noting her daughter’s status is up in the air. “We’ve got a lot more volleyball to play. Districts are coming up before we know it, so we have to rally the troops.”
