By coming through in the clutch again and again, the Joplin Eagles earned a clean sweep.
Three close sets went Joplin’s way in a non-conference volleyball clash with Springfield Catholic on Tuesday inside Kaminsky Gymnasium.
The Eagles got it done in crunch time and topped the Irish 25-23, 25-23, 25-23 to earn a confidence-building victory.
“That’s a big win for us,” Eagles coach Desiree Felker said. “That was a good win. Springfield Catholic does a lot of good things. They’re very aggressive at the net. We learned a lot this past weekend at Hillcrest, and I think we’re better for it.”
Felker noted her squad displayed a lot of determination in the hard-fought match.
“We dug in tonight and we refused to go away,” Felker said. “That showed out on the court. I think the girls have made a decision on what kind of team they want to be. They want to be a team that will dig in, play for each other and not back down when it gets tough.”
Junior outside hitter/middle blocker Bailey Owens led the Eagles with 10 kills, with many of those kills coming at crucial moments.
“She had a good night for us,” Felker said of the 6-foot-1 Owens. “She did a lot of nice things for us at the net. I can’t say enough about her.”
Senior outside hitter Serafina Auberry added five kills for the Eagles. Senior setter Kaya Cooper handed out 13 assists, while classmate and fellow setter Abby Hembree had eight assists.
Senior defensive specialist Jayla Hunter had a team-high 16 digs, while senior Paisley Parker added 14 digs. Sophomore Adalynn Noirfalise contributed 13 digs and senior Abby Edwards had 10 digs.
Springfield Catholic standout Grace O’Reilly recorded 19 kills. A Long Beach State commit, O’Reilly recently surpassed 1,000 career kills.
The first set was close all the way, as there were 11 ties. The final deadlocked score came at 23-23. Owens recorded back to back kills to give the hosts the opening set.
Catholic held a 14-7 lead in the second set before the Eagles gained the momentum with Auberry serving. Joplin eventually tied the set at 14.
Like the first set, the second set was deadlocked at 23 when Owens slammed a kill. On set point, Owens blocked O’Reilly’s kill attempt at the net to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead.
The third set was much like the first two, as neither team was able to gain much separation. In fact, there were 12 ties in the third set, the last coming at 21-all.
Joplin took advantage of a Catholic attack error and then went up 24-21 after a pair of aces from Auberry.
The Irish scored two straight points, but the hosts ended the night when Owens hammered home her final kill of the evening.
“Defensively, we did a very good job tonight,” Felker said. “They refused to let a ball hit the floor. Catholic’s No. 4, O’Reilly, she did a really good job. We did a good job of doing our best to get a touch and keep the play alive.”
The Eagles, who have been assigned to Class 5 District 7 this season, will travel to Aurora on Thursday for what will be a final tune-up before conference play begins next week.
Joplin (6-5-1) will begin Central Ozark Conference action next Tuesday with a home date against Carthage.
