Joplin came out and set the tone early on the way to a 25-15, 25-13 and 25-17 sweep of McDonald County on Thursday inside Kaminsky Gymnasium.
With the win, the Eagles improve to 2-3 on the young season and are 2-0 at home on the year.
“I think that our two home games were some of the best games we’ve played so far,” Joplin coach Desiree Felker said. “If we can play like we do in front of our home fans all the time, I think we can be a dangerous team.”
Joplin came up with the first significant scoring run during Kaya Cooper’s service in the first game, netting six straight with the sideout to build an 8-4 lead. Cooper had a pair of aces in the service, with Bailey Owens accounting for a kill and a block.
Two aces from Jayla Hunter with a kill from Paisley Parker pushed the lead to 13-8 and the Eagles essentially put the opening set out of reach when Parker used a five-point service run to extend the margin to double digits, 20-10. Parker had two aces, while Owens added a pair of kills. Owens highlighted the opening set with six kills.
“I think that her confidence is growing and as her confidence grows, our team’s confidence grows,” Felker said. “They have a lot of trust in her, and they know that she can do big things. Each game she is gaining a little more confidence and that showed tonight.”
Cooper’s four-point run in service gave Joplin an early 9-4 lead in the second game, with Owens contributing a block and a kill in the run.
After the Mustangs cut the deficit to 13-10 on a pair of attack errors by JHS, the Eagles pushed the margin back out to 20-11 with a kill from Serafina Auberry to force a sideout followed by back to back kills from Owens and an ace from Parker. Joplin put the second set away shortly after with an ace from Cooper, giving the Eagles 12 of the last 15 points scored in the game.
“Mac County did a good job at the net and were making things difficult for us,” Felker said. “Our players at the net were working on mixing things up. They started playing a little smarter, trying to use the block and tip into their doughnut and that worked well for us.”
The Mustangs didn’t go away quietly, though. McDonald Country trailed 8-4 early in the third set before cutting the lead down to 12-10 thanks to a pair of attack errors on Joplin and a kill from Teea Corcoran. The lead remained tight, as both teams battled back and forth before McDonald County brought the score to 19-16 on Savannah Leib’s service.
A kill from Joplin’s Adalynn Noirfalise forced a sideout, which allowed Parker to put the Eagles on her back with three straight kills in Noirfalise’s ensuing service before finishing the win off at the service line two points later.
“She definitely has a killer instinct,” Felker said. “She knows how to put the ball away on the court and she wants the ball when the game is on the line. It is great to have a player like that. I think her confidence going into the end of the game helped us push through when things got tight.”
Owens fueled the Eagles with a team-high 17 kills, seven digs and a block. Parker finished with nine kills, seven digs and four aces. Abby Hembree had 18 assists, with Cooper adding 15. Auberry had six kills and a block. Hunter finished with a team-high 22 digs.
Joplin takes part in the Hillcrest Slamfest tournament on Saturday, while McDonald County (1-4) hosts Mount Vernon on Tuesday.
