WEBB CITY, Mo. — Webb City was unable to hold on to the momentum after an opening-set victory, as Nixa rallied for a 3-1 win over the Cardinals in a key Central Ozark Conference volleyball showdown on Thursday night inside the Cardinal Dome.
The Eagles defeated the Cardinals 23-25, 25-14, 25-16, 25-23.
Webb City coach Rhonda Lawrence noted the intense matchup against the talented Eagles will only benefit her team going forward.
“We hadn’t seen anybody with Nixa’s talent level this season, but we still competed hard,” Lawrence said. “I have no problem with our effort. We just weren’t used to Nixa’s high level. But we were right there with them. I thought we did a lot of great things tonight. This was obviously a big game, and when you lose to a great team, you’re only going to learn from it. It was a good learning experience. Tonight is going to make us better.”
Nixa improved to 14-3 overall and 4-0 in conference action, while Webb City fell to 20-3-1 overall and 3-1 in the COC.
The opening set featured eight ties, with the final deadlocked score coming at 17-17. Playing in front of a raucous student section, Webb City gained the momentum late in the first set.
A setter dump by Kyah Sanborn gave the Cardinals a 20-18 lead. Moments later, kills from Kate Brownfield and Aubree Lassiter gave Webb City a 24-21 advantage.
Nixa’s Norah Clark slammed a kill at the net before the Cardinals committed an attack error, making it 24-23 in favor of the hosts. On the next play, the Eagles committed a hitting error, giving the Cardinals the first set.
“I was super happy with the first set,” Lawrence said. “We played aggressively. And I thought we played hard and I thought we played smart.”
The second set was tied at 11 when Nixa gained all of the momentum. The Eagles rattled off nine straight points and never looked back.
“In the second set, we let them be more of the aggressor and we started making unforced errors,” Lawrence said. “We didn’t stay aggressive. I thought we got hesitant in the second set and just didn’t play as smart as we could have.”
Nixa kept the momentum in the third set, as the Eagles led 10-4 and 20-12 en route to taking a 2-1 lead.
The Cardinals responded well in the fourth set, as the hosts definitely made the Eagles earn the match victory.
The fourth set was deadlocked at 16 after a kill from Sanborn, but the Eagles took the lead for good by going on a 4-1 run.
A kill from Brenda Lawrence, an ace from Sanborn and a block at the net by Lassiter kept the Cardinals within striking distance. But Nixa’s Hillary Estes and Jewell Bray both recorded kills to give the Eagles a 23-21 cushion.
Webb City’s Jaeli Rutledge and Nixa’s Chloe Judd traded kills at the net before an Eagle service error allowed the hosts to pull within one at 24-23 before Nixa’s Clark hammered home a match-ending kill.
“We started doing a lot of good things in the fourth set,” Coach Lawrence noted. “We have the talent to do that. It just has to be an all the time thing.”
A junior outside hitter/middle blocker, Lassiter led the Cardinals with 10 kills. A pair of senior outside hitters, Lawrence and Brownfield contributed nine kills apiece. Brownfield also had 10 digs.
A 6-foot freshman, Rutledge added eight kills.
A senior setter, Sanborn handed out 30 assists to go along with nine digs, while junior libero Sophia Crane had a team-high 21 digs.
Webb City hosts Neosho on Tuesday.
