CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Carl Junction was in need of players stepping up into a larger role with the loss of senior outside hitter Jessa Hylton to injury and the Bulldogs got just that in a 3-0 sweep of Webb City on Pink Night on Tuesday in Central Ozark Conference play.
All three games between the Bulldogs (18-5, 4-1 COC) and Cardinals (12-8, 1-3 COC) played out very similarly. Both teams were neck and neck for the majority of each set before Carl Junction found momentum late to earn wins of 25-20, 25-17 and 25-18.
“Anytime we are playing Webb City there is a ton of emotion because of the rivalry, and there were a lot of other things happening tonight,” Carl Junction coach Cheryl Sharples said. “I really encouraged them to focus on what we wanted to do. I was a little nervous in the fact that I knew we had the ability to respond but I wanted to make sure they came out emotionally and mentally strong enough to respond, and we were able to do that.”
Carl Junction lost Hylton late last week to a knee injury, which will cost her the remainder of the season. Though the loss will be a tough endure for the final stretch of the season, it didn’t take long to see other Bulldogs stepping up in her absence.
Webb City led early in the first set 7-4 before a pair of errors sandwiched around a Maggie Brown block tied the game.
A kill by Webb City’s Kate Brownfield followed by two aces from Brenda Lawrence put the Cardinals back on top 10-7.
Carl Junction tied the game at 16s later in the first set on a kill from Karissa Chase before taking a two-point lead on back to back Cardinal errors. Chase came up with a kill, which was followed by a kill from Brown to push the CJ lead to 21-17. The Bulldogs later finished off the first set on a kill from Brown and a block by Logan Jones.
“Maggie has taken great swings for us outside and in the middle all year,” Sharples said of Brown’s play. “That was our first move, getting her to the outside to help us out there. She did a really great job of seeing what they were giving her and executing.”
After a close start in the second set, Carl Junction saw the first momentum swing when Chase came up with a kill and a pair of blocks midway through to put the Bulldogs on top 17-14.
“She gives us a nice big presence at the net,” Sharples said of Chase. “She is another kid who sees the block really well, and she does a great job of using what we tell her.”
Olivia Vediz followed with a five-point service run that included two aces as well as kills from Brown and Kylie Scott to push the lead to 22-14, eventually sending CJ to the win.
Carl Junction trailed 11-9 in the third set before a kill to force a sideout and a three-point service run by Jones that included an ace swung the lead in favor of the Bulldogs, 13-11.
Scott and Destiny Buerge added kills later in the match to put the lead at 23-16 before Buerge ended the game a short time later with a kill to complete the sweep.
Buerge led Carl Junction with 13 kills and 10 digs, while Chase finished with seven kills. Scott had eight kills and three blocks, while Jones compiled 33 assists, four aces and 11 digs.
Kearston Galardo had nine kills, two aces and four digs to lead Webb City, while Brownfield had five kills and two digs. Kyah Sanborn had 20 assists, eight digs and two kills.
Carl Junction is at Ozark on Thursday, while Webb City is at Nixa on Thursday.
