WEBB CITY, Mo. — Utilizing a balanced attack at the net to gain the momentum early in each set, Webb City earned a 3-0 victory over Joplin on Tuesday night in a Central Ozark Conference volleyball matchup inside the Cardinal Dome.
Although the Cardinals pulled off the sweep, it was far from easy.
In what could be called an intense rivalry clash, the Cardinals defeated the Eagles 25-22, 25-20, 25-15.
Each set played out similarly, as Webb City gained the lead early, only to see the scrappy Eagles battle back.
In the end, the Cardinals were able to take advantage of their numerous weapons at the net while also making the most of the Eagles’ unforced errors.
“I liked that we stepped up out there, maintained control and remained pretty steady,” Webb City coach Rhonda Lawrence said. “There weren’t a lot of peaks and valleys. We knew even when it got tight that we had control of ourselves. We didn’t get down and just kept going after them. We were trying to push to the holes and really swing hard. I’m proud of them just because of the balance. And they were steady on the mental side of it. I think that’s huge in volleyball.”
Joplin coach Desiree Felker was pleased with her team’s effort, although she noted her squad could have performed better.
“We worked really hard tonight,” Felker said. “When things got hard I think we shot ourselves in the foot quite a few times. Unforced errors…that was kind of the story. In the second set we had 12 hitting errors. It’s hard to win volleyball games that way. I have to give credit to Webb City. They made things happen when they needed to. But I’m proud of my kids. I don’t think we showed what we’re capable of tonight.”
There was another storyline in this one. At this time last year, Felker was an assistant at Webb City.
“Joplin-Webb is always going to be a tough game,” Lawrence said. “And Coach Felker was my assistant the last six years before she went over there. Emotions were high for both sides. My kids played for her and she helped me train them. And she knows their faults and weaknesses, so we knew it was going to be a tough match. But it’s always fun. I felt like we really stepped up and did a good job of maintaining our play.”
With a fourth straight win, Webb City hiked its record to 9-4-1 overall and 1-0 in the COC. Joplin fell to 5-3-2 and 0-1 in conference action.
NAMES & NUMBERS
Junior outside hitters Brenda Lawrence and Kate Brownfield recorded eight kills apiece to lead the Cardinals’ balanced attack at the net. Seniors Kearston Galardo and Makenzie Storm contributed six kills apiece, while sophomore Aubree Lassiter added four kills.
“Looking at our stats, we were so balanced and that’s what I love about this team,” Coach Lawrence said. “There’s not just one person teams can shut down to take us out of our game. We didn’t have Kearston on the floor in the first set tonight, but we still maintained good, hard swings all in different positions. Jenna Noel is going to step up and be a leader wherever you tell her to go.
“Kearston and Brenda have really hard swings, but they’ve learned to be more strategic with them,” Coach Lawrence added. “Kate Brownfield tools any block that’s in front of her and knows where that hole is with perfect timing. Kenzie’s always going to put down a good ball too. The balance of the attack keeps everybody excited.”
Also for the Cardinals, junior setter Kyah Sanborn handed out 25 assists, while sophomore libero Sophia Crane had a team-high 17 digs.
Crane’s play stood out to Coach Lawrence.
“Sophia Crane…I can’t ask for a better passer,” Lawrence said. “She had 17 digs and that’s a lot for a three-set match. That’s pretty awesome for a sophomore. Her passes were nails.”
Storm added nine digs, while Brownfield had eight, Sanborn chipped in seven and Noel had five.
Senior outside hitter Angelina Schramm led Joplin’s attack at the net with six kills. Abby Edwards added five kills, while Emma Floyd and Allie Lawrence contributed four kills apiece and Bailey Owens had three.
Junior setter Kaya Cooper had 12 assists, while classmate Abby Hembree added seven assists.
Junior defensive specialist Paisley Parker had a team-high 17 digs, while Lawrence had nine digs and Cooper added eight.
The Eagles had 24 attack errors, 10 more than the Cardinals.
MATCH RECAP
The first set was tied at nine when Webb City pulled away with a 5-0 surge. Lassiter had two aces during the run.
A kill from Lawrence extended Webb City’s lead to 20-15, but the Eagles showed a lot of fight, pulling within a point at 23-22. But the Cardinals scored two straight to take the opening set.
Webb City led 15-8 in the second set but the visitors were able to tie it up at 17 after an ace from Parker.
However, Webb City responded with five straight points. Joplin stopped the run but two late kills from Lawrence and a Joplin attack error gave the set to the hosts.
Webb City scored the first eight points of the third set to gain all of the momentum. Sanborn served seven straight points during the surge.
As they did all night, the Eagles fought back and pulled within three at 12-9.
The Cardinals re-took control by utilizing their firepower at the net, using an 8-2 spurt to take a 20-11 lead en route to victory.
Felker noted her Eagles can take some positives away from the setback.
“I’m extremely proud of my kids,” Felker said. “They hung in there when things got tough. They didn’t go away. They kept working hard. And that’s not always easy. It just didn’t go our way tonight.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
Webb City is at Ozark on Thursday night, while Joplin travels to Branson on Thursday.
