Webb City earned a straight-set victory over Joplin in a Central Ozark Conference volleyball showdown on Thursday night.
But the Eagles made the Cardinals earn it.
In three hard-fought sets, Webb City defeated Joplin 25-22, 25-18, 25-20 inside Kaminsky Gymnasium.
“They made us work for it,” Webb City coach Rhonda Lawrence said. “We haven’t seen any competition (for a week) since we’ve had some time off. We needed a game under our belt. We were sluggish coming out and didn’t get to the pace that we usually play at. The speed of the game wasn’t as fast as we’re used to at the start. We turned it up a little bit, and that’s when we started being more successful. We need to be the aggressor for sure.”
Joplin coach Staci Saunders said she was proud of her team’s effort against a solid opponent.
“I thought our effort was there,” Saunders said. “I thought our girls played their hearts out. I think our girls left everything they had on the court. I’m very proud of our effort. If we play like that, we’ll beat some people. But our girls are disappointed because that’s a rivalry. We gave ourselves a chance at the end.”
Senior outside hitter Maddy Peeples recorded 11 kills and 10 digs for the Cardinals, while sophomore outside hitters Brenda Lawrence and Kate Brownfield contributed 13 and eight kills, respectively.
Webb City’s Avery Westhoven had 18 assists and 11 digs and Kyah Sanborn handed out 19 assists and had eight digs. The Cardinals (9-1-1) played without senior setter Anna Hettinger. Also for the Cardinals, Kenzie Storm had four kills and three blocks, while Abby Stork contributed eight digs. Senior libero Sage Crane had 17 digs.
Senior outside hitter Aubrey Ritter recorded 15 digs and eight kills to lead the Eagles (7-4), while senior setter Addison Saunders contributed 15 assists, six service points and four kills.
Allie Lawrence added eight kills and six service points for Joplin, while Baileigh Riley handed out 11 assists. Also for the Eagles, Kaylie Anderson had 16 digs, Kacy Coss and Angelina Schramm had five kills apiece and Emma Floyd had two blocks.
Joplin led the first set 14-10. The score was tied at 20, but Webb City grabbed the momentum late in the set, as kills from Lawrence and Storm finished it off.
The Cardinals led 20-12 in the second set before a late kill from Peeples and a Joplin hitting error gave the set to the visitors.
“It’s always nice to have that go-to player,” Lawrence said of Peeples.
With Crane serving, Webb City scored the first six points of the third set. A pair of kills from Peeples gave the Cardinals an 18-15 advantage.
But the Eagles fought back, as kills from Coss and Addison Saunders tied the set at 19. Joplin briefly took a 20-19 lead, forcing Coach Lawrence to take a timeout.
The Cardinals then scored six straight points to end the night, with a late ace from Sanborn and a block from Ella Cates key to the late surge.
“We were not being the aggressor,” Lawrence said. “We made some silly mistakes. We just needed to stay aggressive and stay after it.”
Coach Saunders noted Peeples proved tough to contain at the net.
“Maddy Peeples is an all-state hitter for a reason,” Saunders said. “She’s stinking good. Our game plan was to try and get a block on her…she had some clean hits. We need to improve our defense. We just have to keep working.”
Saunders also gave Webb City’s defense credit.
“We did not have one ace tonight,” Saunders said. “Sage Crane does an excellent job back there and Maddy Peeples also does a great job passing. We didn’t have one ace all night and that’s usually our bread and butter. We try to out-serve and out serve-receive our opponent, but it’s hard when they’re such good passers.”
Both teams return to action on Thursday, as Joplin hosts Branson and Webb City hosts Ozark.
District assignments
Joplin will compete at the Class 5 District 12 tournament in Carthage with the hosts, Lee’s Summit West and Raymore-Peculiar.
Webb City will host the Class 4 District 11 tournament, with Bolivar, Carl Junction and Nevada also competing.
