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DISTRICT VOLLEYBALL: Webb City claims second straight district crown with win over rival Carl Junction

By:
Jason Peake

WILLARD, Mo. — For the second straight season, and for the third time in four years, the Webb City Cardinals have captured a district championship.

In a clash between familiar foes, top-seeded Webb City defeated second-seeded Carl Junction 3-0 on Tuesday night in the championship match of the MSHSAA Class 4 District 6 volleyball tournament at Willard High School.

The Cardinals beat the Bulldogs 25-19, 25-17, 25-12.

“I’m feeling great and I’m just super proud of the kids,” Cardinals coach Rhonda Lawrence said. “They’ve been very intentional all season and it showed again tonight. Carl Junction is always a tough team and we knew they were going to bring it. Tonight was another great hard-fought fight. The rivalry continues, and I’m just happy we’re on top for two years in a row.” 

Webb City (31-4-2) will host Helias Catholic (29-6-3) at 1 p.m. on Saturday in a quarterfinal contest of the state tournament.

“I’m super excited,” Lawrence said. “We’ve never got to host before. We’ll be packing the Dome for sure. We just need to stick to what we do best. We do a lot of things really well and we can’t be too worried about what’s coming at us.”

The Webb City Cardinals celebrate Tuesday’s win.

Coach Lawrence confirmed to SoMo Sports that this is the first time in school history that a Webb City volleyball team has surpassed 30 wins in a season. 

“I can’t say enough about how much these girls have grown and improved since last year,” Lawrence said. “They’ve bought in and that’s why we’re where we’re at tonight. I’m pretty proud of them. We’ve made a lot of history this year.” 

It was the fourth straight season the Cardinals and Bulldogs have met for a district championship. Webb City won last year’s meeting and the matchup in 2019, while Carl Junction won the clash in ’20. The Bulldogs also knocked off the Cardinals in the district semifinals in ’18.

Webb City won both of the matchups with the Bulldogs in the regular season — the conference clash and the championship match of the CJ Classic. 

Of course, it’s never easy beating the same team three times in one season. Lawrence noted that scenario provided extra motivation for Tuesday’s win-or-go-home matchup. 

“We were fired up for that,” Lawrence said. “It’s hard to beat someone three times, but we knew we’d already beat them twice and we should rely on that for confidence. We knew they didn’t have Lo (Jones) in our first match with them and then she had just gotten back the second time we played them. But it does help to play against a team that you see a lot. You know what’s coming at you. And these kids have played against each other since they were little.” 

Carl Junction was playing for a district title for the seventh straight season, but the Cardinals simply had too much firepower.

Always a key to victory, Webb City was the first team to 15 and to 20 in all three sets.

“That’s always a big thing,” Lawrence said. “Getting to 15 first and getting to 20 first makes a huge difference. Volleyball is a mental game and I feel like we attacked tonight. We are multifaceted from where we can attack from…that’s what I love about this team. It makes us hard to defend and hard to shut down.”

In the opening set, the Cardinals took a 10-6 lead after kills from senior outside hitter Brenda Lawrence and junior outside hitter Aubree Lassiter, along with a solo block from Lassiter.

The Bulldogs stayed close with kills from junior Kylie Scott and sophomore Karissa Chase, but the Cardinals finished the first set on a 6-2 run.

The Cardinals led 9-7 in the second set when they gained all of the momentum and used an 11-3 run to take a 2-0 lead. 

During a key stretch, Webb City sophomore Kirra Long recorded a block at the net, Lassiter slammed a kill and the Bulldogs committed three straight attack errors.

Webb City took control of the third set early with an 8-1 lead, but the Bulldogs didn’t go down without a fight, as CJ pulled within two at 10-8 on Scott’s kill.

But the Cardinals wouldn’t be denied. Freshman middle hitter Jaeli Rutledge hammered home a kill and junior libero Sophia Crane served an ace before late kills from Lassiter and senior outside hitter Kate Brownfield secured the set and match victory. 

Lassiter and Brenda Lawrence recorded 10 kills apiece for the Cardinals, while Rutledge had seven kills and Brownfield added six kills to go along with seven digs. 

Crane had a team-high 11 digs, while senior setter Kyah Sanborn handed out 30 assists and added six digs. Jenna Noel, another senior, had five digs.

Scott led the Bulldogs with nine kills, while senior outside hitter Destiny Buerge recorded 10 digs and eight kills. 

Senior setter Logan Jones handed out 25 assists for the Bulldogs, while junior defensive specialist Sara Buchele added seven digs, junior Aubreigh Fowler had three blocks and Chase chipped in six kills. 

Carl Junction ends the season at 22-11-2. 

“When you win 22 matches, you’ve had a good season,” Bulldogs coach Cheryl Sharples said. “And we finished in the top 16 in Class 4. I’m proud of my kids and the work they put in this year.” 

The Bulldogs said goodbye to seniors Jones, Buerge, Adia Kennedy and Jocelyn Brown.

“Our seniors have been a big part of our program since their freshmen year,” Sharples noted. “They have contributed to over 100 wins in their careers.” 

An all-state performer who will continue her volleyball career at Arkansas, Jones concluded her stellar prep career as the program’s all-time leader in assists.

 

Notes: Helias Catholic defeated Jefferson City 3-2 for the District 5 title. 

Saturday’s quarterfinal winner will advance to the state Final Four in Cape Girardeau on Nov. 3-4.

 

The Webb City Cardinals pose with the district championship plaque and bracket on Tuesday night at Willard High School. Photo by Jason Peake.

 

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