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DISTRICT VOLLEYBALL: Webb City starts fast, finishes strong in upset victory over Carl Junction

 

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — When nearly two and a half hours of intense volleyball concluded, the Webb City Cardinals were the team hoisting a district championship plaque into the air. 

With a fast start and a strong finish, second-seeded Webb City knocked off top-seeded Carl Junction 3-2 in the title match of the Class 4 District 12 tournament on Monday night at Carl Junction High School.

In a five-set thriller, the Cardinals defeated the Bulldogs 28-26, 25-15, 23-25, 20-25 and 15-10. 

“I’m so proud of them,” Webb City coach Rhonda Lawrence said. “CJ is a great team. We were definitely the underdog coming in. I don’t think anybody is going to believe it’s going to say Webb City instead of them. But I felt like we played strategically and very smart. It was a great match. We really stepped it up as a team and were locked in with each other. We settled in and the girls did their jobs.”

Webb City’s Kate Brownfield slams a kill at the net during Monday’s district championship match against Carl Junction. Photo by Israel Perez.

After capturing a second district title in three seasons, the Cardinals (19-12-2) will meet the to-be-determined champion of District 11 in the sectional round of the state tournament at 6:30 on Thursday night. 

Meeting in a district championship match has become a regular occurrence for these Central Ozark Conference rivals. The Bulldogs beat the Cardinals in last year’s district title game after Webb City topped Carl Junction in the 2019 championship match. 

“We see these guys a lot and we tried to make some adjustments in our offense to help us score better,” Lawrence said. “Hat’s off to CJ. They have a great program. We make each other better. Iron sharpens iron. That’s why we’re always here.” 

This year’s postseason meeting was a hard-fought, back-and-forth clash that went the Cardinals’ way. Lawrence noted getting off to a good start by winning the opening set was crucial for her squad, especially after the Bulldogs topped the Cardinals 3-0 just three weeks ago. 

“Winning that first set gets the monkey off your back and you’ve got the momentum,” Lawrence said. 

Carl Junction, in a district championship match for the sixth straight season, ends the season with a record of 24-11. 

“I thought we played really tight and under a lot of pressure, especially in the first two sets,” Carl Junction coach Cheryl Sharples said. “We made a lot of errors. But they forced us into some situations and we didn’t handle them real well.”

Down 2-0, the Bulldogs won the third and fourth sets.

“We never quit,” Sharples added. “We were making some aggressive errors, but our kids never quit. I’ve been proud of them for that all year. When Jessa (Hylton) went out, we could have easily been done. But they stepped up and we had a great year.”

 

MATCH RECAP

All five sets were close.

The first set was deadlocked at 26 when Webb City’s Kearston Galardo slammed a kill before a hitting error on the Bulldogs gave the decision to the visitors. 

The second set was tied at 15, but Webb City grabbed the momentum with Kate Brownfield serving. The Cardinals rattled off 10 straight points. 

The third set was tied at 22 when the Bulldogs scored three of the next four points.

Carl Junction pulled away late in the fourth set, with Destiny Buerge serving a pair of aces. A kill from Kylie Scott finished off the set and forced a deciding fifth set.

In the finale set, Webb City went ahead right away with leads of 6-3 and 8-5. Galardo, Aubree Lassiter and Brenda Lawrence all had kills late in the set to give the Cardinals the win.

Lawrence noted she was proud her squad kept its composure after dropping two straight sets. And of course, getting a lead early in the final set proved key. 

“After the second set, I told our kids that Carl Junction wasn’t going to lay down,” Lawrence said. “They are used to this. We’ve played in a lot of four or five set matches. In the fifth set, you’ve got to go fast. That 15 points goes quick. You have to be on target.” 

 

NAMES & NUMBERS

A senior outside hitter, Galardo had 15 kills, eight digs and four aces for the Cardinals. Junior outside hitter Brenda Lawrence recorded 15 kills, while junior outside hitter Brownfield added nine kills and nine digs. 

A sophomore outside hitter, Lassiter added four kills and four blocks, while senior middle blocker Makenzie Storm had three kills and seven digs. Junior defensive specialist Jenna Noel chipped in five digs.

Webb City junior Kyah Sanborn handed out 41 assists and had 14 digs from the setter position, while sophomore libero Sophia Crane had a team-high 16 digs.

Carl Junction junior outside hitter Destiny Buerge tips the ball over the net during Monday’s match with Webb City.

A junior outside hitter, Buerge led the Bulldogs with 21 kills and 17 digs, while Scott, a sophomore middle hitter, added 14 kills. 

Freshman outside hitter Karissa Chase contributed eight kills and five blocks, while senior defensive specialist Ellie Lawson served five aces.

Junior setter Logan Jones, an Arkansas recruit, handed out 46 assists. 

Carl Junction’s seniors were Hylton, Lawson, Olivia Vediz, Maisen McCluney, Abigale Wilson, Maggie Brown and Delani Mertens. A standout outside hitter, Hylton suffered a season-ending injury on Sept. 30. 

“Our seniors are a great group of kids,” Sharples said. “They’ve been playing since they were really young. All of them contributed in big ways. It was hard to say goodbye to them.” 

 

Note: The District 11 title match between Willard and Logan-Rogersville is scheduled for Tuesday night. The Cardinals own a win over Rogersville and have lost to Willard. 

 

Webb City sophomore libero Sophia Crane is pictured during Monday’s district championship match at Carl Junction. Photos by Israel Perez/SoMo Sports.

 

Carl Junction junior setter Logan Jones is pictured during Monday’s Class 4 District 12 championship game.

 

DISTRICT VOLLEYBALL: Carl Junction, Webb City advance to title game

 

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — For the third straight year, Carl Junction and Webb City will meet with a district championship on the line.

Top-seeded Carl Junction defeated fourth-seeded McDonald County 3-0 and second-seeded Webb City handled third-seeded Nevada 3-0 in semifinal matches of the Class 4 District 12 volleyball tournament on Saturday at CJHS. 

Both teams earned convincing wins, as the Bulldogs defeated the Mustangs 25-9, 25-9, 25-14 and the Cardinals topped the Tigers 25-13, 25-12, 25-19.

The district championship match is slated for 6 p.m. on Monday at Carl Junction. 

“It’s pretty exciting,” Carl Junction coach Cheryl Sharples said. “Our kids have been there before and they have that experience. We don’t have to worry about inexperience, so we like our chances. I think both teams have come to expect to meet in this game. That’s great because it’s always such a great rivalry. We’re ready for Monday. We’ll be ready to go.” 

The Bulldogs beat the Cardinals in last year’s district title game after Webb City topped Carl Junction in the 2019 championship match. 

Now, the rivals will meet again with the season on the line. 

“It’s always exciting to be in the district championship,” Webb City coach Rhonda Lawrence said. “The last few years it’s been us and CJ. We won two years ago and they won last year. So we hope it’s our turn this year. We’ll have to play well to do it. They have a solid team. I hope we play as well as we can.” 

The Bulldogs won two regular-season meetings with the Cardinals this fall. 

It will be the fourth straight season the two programs have met in the postseason, as Carl Junction knocked off Webb City in the district semifinals in ’18.

The Bulldogs are in a district title match for the sixth straight season, with titles in ’20, ’18 and ’17 and losses in ’19 and ’16.

 

CARL JUNCTION 3, MCDONALD COUNTY 0

The Bulldogs (24-10) gained all of the momentum early in each set against the Mustangs. The hosts never relinquished it either.

“I really challenged them to control the level of their play on the court,” Sharples said. “I felt like we were pretty crisp and clean tonight. That’s what we needed to do.”

Sharples noted the Bulldogs are close to peaking at the right time. 

“We’re getting pretty close to doing that,” Sharples said. “We’ve had some changes in our lineup and so we’ve been developing that lately. Now it’s time to peak.”

Junior outside hitter Destiny Buerge recorded 11 kills and eight digs for the Bulldogs, while sophomore middle hitter Kylie Scott added 10 kills. Freshman outside hitter Karissa Chase contributed six kills and two blocks. 

Junior setter Logan Jones handed out 30 assists and also contributed five aces and five kills. Senior libero Olivia Vediz had nine digs and five aces.

In the first set, the Bulldogs led 11-7 when they rattled off 10 straight points. Maggie Brown had three aces during the run.

Three aces from Vediz gave Carl Junction a 12-5 lead in the second set. Later, a pair of kills from Buerge gave the Bulldogs a 20-8 advantage en route to the set victory.

In the third set, the Bulldogs led 15-10 when they closed out the final set and the match on a 10-4 surge. 

Playing their final match for McDonald County (7-23-1) were seniors Lana Yang, Kirklyn Kasischke, Kloe Myers and Abby Wiseman. 

 

WEBB CITY 3, NEVADA 0

Like the Bulldogs, the Cardinals (18-12-2) simply took care of business. 

“We did not play well at Carthage on Tuesday, so it was nice to see us play the way we played today,” Lawrence said. “I’m proud of the way they played. They were a little more meticulous about things.”

Lawrence noted playing in the always-tough Central Ozark Conference pays off in postseason matches against non-conference opponents like Nevada.

“I think that’s obvious,” Lawrence said about being battle-tested. “Unfortunately, a lot of teams in our conference are in the same districts and we beat each other out in the postseason. But our matches in the COC are a notch higher than what some of these teams are used to seeing, and that always helps us this time of the year.” 

In the opening set, Nevada hung tough early, but Webb City led 15-9 and 20-11 en route to victory.

The Cardinals snatched the momentum right away in the second set, leading 15-4.

Webb City scored the first eight points of the third set and never looked back.  

Senior outside hitter Kearston Galardo and junior outside hitter Brenda Lawrence led Webb City’s attack at the net with 10 kills apiece. 

Senior middle hitter Makenzie Storm added nine kills and three blocks, while junior outside hitter Kate Brownfield contributed nine digs, six kills and three blocks. Sophomore Aubree Lassiter chipped in three kills, three digs and two blocks.

Junior setter Kyah Sanborn handed out 32 assists and had seven digs. Sophomore libero Sophia Crane had a team-high 15 digs. 

Seniors Grace Barnes, Hadley Bruce, Macy Cussimanio and Taylor Thompson played their final match for Nevada (12-17-1).

NOTE: The District 12 champion will meet the District 11 champion (Willard or Logan-Rogersville) in the sectional round on Oct. 28.

PREP VOLLEYBALL: Joplin tops Pittsburg in three sets

 

The Joplin High School volleyball team defeated Pittsburg 3-0 on Monday in a non-conference clash inside Kaminsky Gymnasium.

The Eagles defeated the Purple Dragons 25-16, 25-20, 25-8.

Joplin improved its record to 12-9-5.

Allie Lawrence had 11 kills to lead the Eagles, while Angelina Schramm added nine kills. Bailey Owens contributed six kills, while Abby Edwards had five kills and Emma Floyd added four kills to go with two blocks. 

Abby Hembree handed out 17 assists from the setter position, while Kaya Cooper added 14 assists.

Jayla Hunter served six aces, while Lawrence had five. Cooper and Paisley Parker contributed three aces apiece.

Parker had a team-high 11 digs from the libero position. Hunter added four digs and Schramm had three.

Joplin will host Carl Junction (18-6) at 6:30 on Tuesday night in a Central Ozark Conference clash. 

 

PREP VOLLEYBALL ROUNDUP: CHC, TJ, Seneca, Mac County earn wins; area teams drop COC matches

 

COLLEGE HEIGHTS CHRISTIAN DOWNS MCAULEY CATHOLIC

 

College Heights notched another conference win after defeating McAuley 25-18, 25-19 and 

25-9 on Thursday.

With the win, CHC improves to 13-5-1 and 3-1 in Ozark 7 play.

Addie Lawrence led the Cougars with 16 kills, with Lauren Ukena right behind

 with 14 kills. Ava Masena had 15 digs, while Maddy Colin had 31 assists, 11 digs, 15 service points and four aces. Lindsay Griesemer had 13 digs and 10 service points, while Marley Woodford added 10 points in service. 

College Heights takes part in the El Dorado Springs Invitational volleyball tournament on Saturday.

 

THOMAS JEFFERSON SWEEPS VERONA

 

Thomas Jefferson secured a 3-0 home victory over Verona, as the Cavaliers won 26-24, 25-14, 25-18.

Nico Carlson compiled seven kills, five blocks and five aces for Thomas Jefferson, while Lannah Grigg added six kills and a block.

Also for the Cavaliers, Alexis Stamps and Yasmina Mokhtar contributed three kills apiece, while Mayson Solum had 11 assists. 

Mary Nguyen had four assists and three aces.

Thomas Jefferson (11-12-3) is at Liberal on Monday. 

 

CARL JUNCTION FALLS TO OZARK IN FIVE SETS

 

OZARK, Mo. — Carl Junction battled to five sets but ultimately lost 25-18, 14-25, 25-16, 22-25 and 15-11 on Tuesday in Central Ozark Conference play.

The loss gives Carl Junction a 18-6 overall record and 4-2 Central Ozark Conference record.

Destiny Buerge had 17 kills and 14 digs to lead the Bulldogs, while Logan Jones had 50 assists and 17 digs. Kylie Scott added 17 kills. Karissa Chase had 11 kills and five blocks, while Olivia Vediz finished with 35 digs.

Carl Junction is at Joplin on Tuesday.

 

JOPLIN COMES UP SHORT AT REPUBLIC

 

REPUBLIC, Mo. — Joplin suffered a 3-1 loss at Republic on Thursday.

The Tigers topped the Eagles 25-8, 25-13, 22-25, 25-14.

Joplin hosts Pittsburg on Monday. 

 

WEBB CITY SUFFERS ROAD LOSS AT NIXA

 

NIXA, Mo. — Webb City suffered a 3-0 setback at Nixa, as the Eagles defeated the Cardinals 25-8, 25-22, 25-11.

Webb City fell to 13-9-1, while a talented Nixa squad improved its record to 21-2.

Brenda Lawrence recorded seven kills and four digs for the Cardinals, while Kate Brownfield added six kills and Kearston Galardo had four. 

Kyah Sanborn handed out 16 assists, while Jenna Noel, Sophia Crane and Sanborn all recorded five digs apiece. 

Webb City is at the Willard Tournament on Saturday. 

 

CARTHAGE DROPS COC MATCH TO WILLARD

 

WILLARD, Mo. — Taking on last year’s Class 4 champion, Carthage dropped a 3-0 decision at Willard on Thursday in COC action.

The set scores were 25-12, 25-22 and 25-17 in favor of the host Tigers. 

Sydnee Dudolski had seven kills and seven digs to lead Carthage, while Sophie Shannon added six kills and three blocks and Mia Camarillo had five kills.

Raven Probert had 15 assists and six digs, while Olivia Bourgault had a team-high 18 digs. 

Willard improved to 18-3-1 and 5-1 in the COC.

Carthage (15-12, 3-3 COC) is at Branson on Tuesday. 

 

SENECAL BEATS MONETT IN THREE SETS

 

SENECA, Mo. — Seneca swept Monett 25-8, 25-16 and 25-7 on Pink Night to earn a Big 8 Conference win on Thursday.

With the win, the Indians improve to 11-11-2, 3-1 in conference play

Parker Long had 10 kills and 10 digs for Seneca, while Rylee Darnell finished with 28 assists and two aces. Jera Jameson added seven kills, six aces and 10 digs, with Brylee Sage adding five kills and three aces. Braxton Raulston had four aces and eight digs, while Tatum White finished with four aces.

Seneca hosts Lamar on Tuesday.

 

MCDONALD COUNTY TOPS EAST NEWTON IN FIVE SETS

 

GRANBY, Mo. — McDonald County earned a hard-fought 3-2 victory over East Newton on Thursday. 

The Mustangs defeated the Patriots 25-22, 25-15, 24-26, 9-25, 15-8.

Samara Smith had 20 kills for the Mustangs, while Abby Wiseman handed out 47 assists.

Also for McDonald County, Kirklyn Kasischke had 46 digs, while Megan Elwood added 24 digs. 

McDonald County is at Webb City on Monday for a non-conference match.

PREP VOLLEYBALL: Joplin battles until the end in loss to Springfield Central

 

Desiree Felker was definitely proud of the effort.

Felker’s Joplin High School volleyball team overcame a two-set deficit and forced a deciding fifth set with some inspired play.

But in the end, Springfield Central left town with a 3-2 win over the Eagles on Tuesday night in a non-conference clash inside Kaminsky Gymnasium.

The Bulldogs defeated the Eagles 25-22, 25-9, 14-25, 12-25, 15-13. 

“I think the game started a little rocky, but we responded in the third set,” Felker said. “It would have been easy for us to pack in it and be done. I’m really proud of our kids for responding like that. I think they showed a lot of grit and a lot of fight.”

Joplin’s Angelina Schramm (2) and Emma Floyd (25) block at the net against Central’s Miliana Sylvester on Tuesday night inside Kaminsky Gymnasium. Central edged Joplin 3-2. Photo by Jessica Greninger.

It was Joplin’s first setback of the season after two wins. Central improved to 5-1-1.

The first set was tied at eight when the visitors pulled away with a 15-5 surge. 

Central was in control of the second set from the start, as the Bulldogs led 12-2 en route to victory.

But the Eagles looked like a different team in the third set. Looking inspired in front of their home crowd, the Eagles took control right away.

“We switched up our lineup a little bit to get some different matchups at the net,” Felker said. “We also talked about just trying to prove to people what Joplin Volleyball is all about. We didn’t feel like our play represented what we have worked on. I think just talking about those things lit a fire in them. It was just their mentality with how they approached the game. They wanted to leave it all out on the floor.” 

Jayla Hunter serves for the Joplin Eagles during Tuesday’s match with Springfield Central. Photo by Jessica Greninger.

A pair of aces from Kaya Cooper and a kill from Emma Floyd gave Joplin a 9-1 advantage.

Joplin’s lead grew to 16-2 after a kill from Angelina Schramm. An ace from Abby Hembree and kills from both Abby Edwards and Bailey Owens helped finish off the one-sided set.

The Eagles stormed out to a 10-1 lead in the lopsided fourth set to force a fifth set.

The intense deciding set saw Central go up 13-9.

The Eagles didn’t quit, however, as Floyd had back to back kills and Allie Lawrence added one of her own.

Cooper’s ace tied the set at 13. A Joplin service error and a kill from Central’s Miliana Sylvester gave the Bulldogs the set and the match. 

“I’m very proud of the effort in the last three sets,” Felker said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t go our way in the fifth set. But I’m proud of the things they did on the court tonight.” 

Floyd, a senior middle blocker, had nine kills. Lawrence, Schramm and Owens contributed eight kills apiece. 

Cooper handed out 19 assists, while Hembree added 14 assists. Cooper had six aces and Lawrence added five aces. 

Junior libero Paisley Parker had 32 digs. Jayla Hunter added 19 digs and Cooper had 12. 

The Eagles will compete at the Hillcrest Tournament on Saturday. 

 

Joplin’s Allie Lawrence is pictured during Tuesday’s match with Springfield Central. In back is JHS head coach Desiree Felker. Photo by Jessica Greninger.