CARTHAGE, Mo. — Staci Saunders experienced a wide range of emotions after emerging from the locker room on Wednesday night inside Carthage High School.
The veteran Joplin High School volleyball coach was feeling proud that her Eagles were able to pull off a semifinal upset and reach a district championship game.
At the same, Saunders couldn’t help but feel some sadness, as the night’s loss ended not only the 2020 season, but also her time as the program’s head coach.
Third-seeded Joplin suffered a season-ending 3-0 (25-10, 25-9, 25-16) loss to top-seeded Lee’s Summit West in the championship match of the Class 5 District 12 tournament.
The setback came after the Eagles upset second-seeded Carthage 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-22) in the semifinals.
After the finale, Saunders announced that she will not return as coach next season. She informed her team of her decision to step down moments after the loss.
“I’m feeling great because we played in a district championship game, but I’m feeling sad because I just announced to the girls that I will not be coming back,” Saunders said. “I’m very happy we ended the way we did. This is a really good group to end on. It’s just time to have new people bring a fresh breath of air to Joplin volleyball. We’re a tight group and it was a hard decision. There’s a lot of tears right now. It is time. I’ll have three kids in college next year, and I want to see them.”
Saunders spent the last 10 seasons as Joplin’s head coach after previously being an assistant at her alma mater for 12 years.
MORE ON COACH SAUNDERS
A 1992 graduate of JHS, Saunders played volleyball for the Eagles. She assisted Sandy Shelley for 12 seasons before taking over as head coach in 2011.
Coach Saunders’ daughter, Addison, concluded her prep career on Wednesday night.
Addison was just eight years old when her mother was named head coach of the Eagles. Older sister Mari Katheryn graduated last year. Like Addison, son Jake is a senior at JHS this year.
Saunders won her final match inside Kaminsky Gymnasium, as the Eagles defeated Neosho last Tuesday.
“I know this is what’s best for me and my family,” Saunders said. “It’s bittersweet. I wanted to go out with Addi. I’ve coached Addi and Aubrey Ritter since they were little.”
“I’ve been an Eagle my whole life,” Saunders added. “I was raised and played in Kaminsky. I started my first coaching job at Joplin High. Being an Eagle means something to me and I’m really proud to be an Eagle. I bleed red and navy. I’ll be rooting for the Eagles the rest of my life. I hope one day I’m cheering on my grandkids there.”
Coach Saunders noted that longtime assistant coach Amber Travis will also be relinquishing her coaching position.
JOPLIN 3, CARTHAGE 0
Carthage had defeated Joplin 3-0 during the regular season, but the Eagles pulled off the upset with an inspired performance.
“Oh my gosh, I couldn’t be prouder of those kids,” Saunders said. “We have no stars on our team. We need all six kids working together. We always say, ‘keep grinding.’ I felt like this was our best team volleyball. Everybody contributed. We hit well, we passed well, we dug well…we did everything well. We took them out of their game. They were having to play out of system.”
The first set was tied at 22 when Joplin scored three straight on Emma Floyd’s block and kills from Addison Saunders and Allie Lawrence.
The second set was tied at 16 when the Eagles scored three straight. Late kills from Floyd and Saunders, along with a Carthage attack error, gave Joplin the set.
The Eagles led 8-1 and 16-8 in the third set. Joplin never relinquished the lead, although Carthage pulled within four with Chloe Black serving.
The Eagles finished strong, as Lawrence and Angelina Schramm had late kills.
“I felt like we played gutsy,” Saunders said. “We played with confidence. We came in knowing we could win if we played our best volleyball and we did play our best volleyball.”
Ritter had 10 kills, while Lawrence and Addison Saunders had seven kills apiece and Schramm added six kills. Saunders handed out 15 assists, while Baileigh Riley had 14 assists.
Ritter also had a team-high 15 digs and four aces. Kaylie Anderson had 13 digs, Lawrence added 10 digs and Riley had seven digs. Angeline Peralta had five blocks, while Floyd had three blocks.
For Carthage, junior Sydnee Dudolski had 19 digs and 11 kills to lead the Tigers, while Black handed out 17 assists and junior Olivia Bourgault recorded 22 digs.
SEASON ENDS FOR TIGERS
Bradyn Webb’s first season at the helm of the Carthage Tigers concluded with Wednesday’s loss to Joplin.
“It’s really hard to lose, especially like that,” Webb said. “I don’t think we played our best. I know this was their first season with me, so it’s been a big change for them. It’s nice to see when I go in there they’re upset. They’re not OK with losing, and that makes a statement for next year. I have a lot of returners who are hungry to win.”
Webb also gave Joplin credit.
“I think that was a great game they just played,” Webb said. “We made a lot of unforced errors and they made hardly any. That’s the best I’ve seen them play. Staci has done a great job with them.”
Carthage’s seniors are Black, Rylee Anderson and Grace Schriever, who missed the match after having to quarantine. The Tigers (14-14-1) will return a solid core next fall.
“My first season has been great,” Webb said. “We’ve made strides since our first game. We played our best against Ozark and Nixa. Moving forward, I told those kids to remember this feeling because that can push you and make you better for next year.”
LEE’S SUMMIT WEST 3, JOPLIN 0
The Eagles were unable to pull off a second upset, as Lee’s Summit West showed why they were the district’s top seed.
“I feel like we played very hesitant and we weren’t playing with confidence,” Saunders said. “The COC is a tough conference, so we’re used to playing tough opponents. Lee’s Summit West is good, but we see teams like that all the time…Ozark, Nixa. We played safe and scared instead of playing confidently. Credit Lee’s Summit. They played very steady and put it to us.”
With plenty of firepower at the net, the Titans led 11-2 in the first set and never looked back.
Lee’s Summit West took a commanding 13-3 advantage in the second set en route to victory.
Joplin led 6-3 in the third set after a kill from Lawrence, but the set was soon tied at seven. Ritter’s kill tied the score at 10, but the Titans gained the momentum for good and pulled away. Lee’s Summit West finished the final set on a 15-6 run.
Four players recorded two kills apiece against the Titans— Lawrence, Ritter, Schramm and Peralta. Addison Saunders had four assists, while Ritter and Anderson had five digs apiece for the Eagles (15-15-1).
Playing for the final time in a Joplin uniform were Addison Saunders, Ritter, Riley, Anderson, Shahla Kellhofer and Mya Johnson.
“This is one of the most fun groups I’ve ever coached,” Saunders said. “It’s not a me mentality, it’s we before me. Coaching Addison Saunders is probably my greatest joy in life. And Aubrey Ritter. They’ve been three-year starters. Those two will be on my Mount Rushmore of players I’ve loved to coach. Our juniors are stellar. Our seniors did their job. They’re really great humans and it makes it fun to coach kids who are great humans.”
Joplin hadn’t appeared in a district title match in more than a decade.
Lee’s Summit West topped fourth-seeded Raymore-Peculiar 3-1 (25-20, 25-10, 24-26, 25-15) in the semifinals.
As the district champion, the Titans (18-6) advanced to Saturday’s sectional in Nixa.
