WEBB CITY, Mo. — Carl Junction made it a clean sweep to kick off the Class 4 District 11 volleyball tournament with a 25-17, 25-16 and 25-22 win over Nevada in the semifinals on Monday.
The Bulldogs (23-6) won their semifinal match in a multitude of ways. In the opening set, Carl Junction and Nevada battled evenly through the early portions before a pair of strong service runs built a lead the Bulldogs wouldn’t relinquish. In the second set, the Bulldogs scored the first seven points on the way to a comfortable win. CJ faced adversity in the final set, falling behind by seven points in the later stages of the set before scoring 10 of the next 11 points to regain the lead and the momentum on the way to the sweep.
“I guess that prepares you for whatever could happen in the next round,” Carl Junction coach Cheryl Sharples said. “I thought we started playing a little sloppy in that third game and we made some errors. I thought it was great to see us refocus and come back to take that set.”
“They are a great team, and credit to them for having a great program,” Nevada coach Kori Dodson said. “They have some big hitters. I was proud of our girls for continually fighting, never giving up and finding ways to create points against a strong defensive and offensive team.”
The Tigers end the season with an 8-18 record in Dodson’s first year at the helm. Nevada graduates seniors Hallie Bond, Kadence Trosper, Laney Coons, Ezinnie Mba and Hannah Godsey.
“We fought really hard this season,” Dodson said. “We had a lot of obstacles get in our way between COVID stuff and injuries, plus just being a young team. … I was very proud of them for stepping up to every obstacle and just responding to it.”
“They are a group of seniors who have been through a lot,” Dodson said of her graduating class. “Laney Coons was our energizer bunny on the court. … She brought that energy for us for sure. Hannah Godsey is a great defensive and serve receive player for us. … She is on point in service, too. In regards to the other seniors, they were very involved and passionate about volleyball. Bringing that to the team was great.”
Carl Junction and Nevada opened the first set playing at a back-and-forth pace until a four-point service run by Olivia Vediz — who finished with three aces and 10 digs in the match — gave the Bulldogs an 11-4 cushion. Vediz had two aces during the run.
Nevada scored the next four points before a sideout and three straight points, with the final coming on a kill from Jill Kennedy, during Jessa Hylton’s service put the Bulldogs back on top 15-7. Consecutive kills from Salma Lewis and Kylie Scott followed by a Nevada attack error gave CJ a 19-10 advantage. The Bulldogs finished off the match with a kill by Hylton.
“I thought we played really solid in the first set,” Sharples said. “I think during the first few points in districts, no matter who you are playing, there are always going to be nerves going on. I thought we settled in and played really well.”
With Hylton serving to start the second set, Carl Junction rattled off seven straight points to take full control of the game. Hylton had four aces during the run, while Lewis — who led Carl Junction with 12 kills — came away with two kills.
“She really did serve well, hitting her spots really well,” Sharples said. “She did a really good job of getting her serves in play and being aggressive.”
The Bulldogs used a kill and an ace from Hylton, who finished the night with 10 aces, nine kills and eight digs, to build a 10-point advantage before Lewis earned a tip kill. Another ace by Hylton put CJ in front 19-7. A kill from Destiny Buerge moments later ended the set in favor of the Bulldogs.
The Tigers and Bulldogs played evenly through the first half of the final set before Nevada went on a six-point service run from Emma Leisure to build an 18-11 advantage. Leisure had an ace in the run, while Trinity Gayman added a kill.
Kennedy, who had eight kills and four aces, earned a kill to force a sideout and the Bulldogs trimed the deficit to 18-17 on a five-point run with Hylton in service. Kennedy had two kills and Hylton had two aces. Following a kill by Gayman and an answer by Lewis, Kennedy went on a five-point run in service to swing the lead back in favor of Carl Junction, 23-19. Lewis had two kills, while Kennedy had three aces in the run. The Bulldogs finished off the sweep shortly after.
“Anytime that you feel like you aren’t playing your best, but you can pull a win out, you’re always happy with that,” Sharples said. “The highlight of that set was definitely our serve. Jill went back there and had two or three aces to pull us even. That was a nice service run there.”
UP NEXT
Top-seeded Carl Junction takes on host and second-seeded Webb City in the Class 4 District 11 championship match at 6 p.m. on Wednesday inside the Cardinal Dome.
“It’s always fun because it’s a big rivalry and our kids play club with each other and know each other well,” Sharples said. “It’s always going to be fun, and it’s always going to be a battle. That’s what you expect.”
