In its final home match of the season, Joplin volleyball sent its seniors off on a high note after disposing of Pittsburg 25-13, 25-11 and 25-21 on Monday inside Kaminsky Gymnasium.
“This night was so great and it was exactly what we wanted,” Joplin coach Staci Saunders said after the win. “It was a total team effort. Everyone contributed and it took everybody on our team to get this win. I think it left (our seniors) with a good feeling in their hearts. And that is what high school sports are about—making memories. I feel like this will be a core memory for them.”
The Eagles held Senior Night ceremonies for DS Abigail Eckert, OH/RS Janiah Vaughn, OH/RS Bailey Owens, DS Avery Bermudez and OH/RS Raelin Calderon.
“We wanted it to be a very special night for them because they have had to overcome some adversity this season,” Saunders said. “They really are the nicest kids and a great group of seniors. They are the perfect examples of what great humans should be for our underclassmen, what a great student-athlete should be for our underclassmen and what great leaders should be for underclassmen. Tonight was just a celebration for them for stepping up and being leaders for our team and they deserved it.”
Joplin opened the first set as the aggressor, and played relatively clean for the first 15 points. The Eagles didn’t allow the Purple Dragons to score more than two points consecutively until Pittsburg’s final serve in the match, with the game all but decided at that point.
“I think our serving was effective,” Saunders said. “We were moving well and blocking well, forcing them to make adjustments. The girls were all fired up to play, making really good decisions. It made for a really great first set.”
The Eagles led 5-3 early in the opening set before DS Lucy Erisman scored eight straight points in service to build a 13-3 advantage for Joplin. Owens had three kills and a block in the run.
“When we get her going, we are going to do good things,” Saunders said of Owens’ play early. “She is a highly-skilled player who always finds the way to get the job done. What I love about her is she is never up or never down. … She stays steady and is the calm and confidence our team needs.”
JHS built the lead to 19-5 later in the set after a kill from Owens and a three-point service run from Bermudez that included an ace and a kill by MB Amy Kessler.
Joplin led 24-9 on a kill from Vaughn before a sideout and Pittsburg’s first three-point run in service trimmed the margin to 24-13. Owens closed the set with a kill.
Early in the second set, the Eagles used two kills from Owens, two kills from Kessler and a block by MB/RS Aiyana Kroll to build a 9-5 advantage.
Joplin took control for good after scoring 10 of the next 11 points moments later to push the advantage to 19-8.
“Our goal as a team is to get in-a-row points with our serve,” Saunders said. “We have to get in-a-row points to jump ahead because it gives us a chance in the end.”
Setter Adalynn Noirfalise and Vaughn each had four-point runs in service during that span. Calderon had two kills during the run, while Owens and Kroll each had blocks.
The Eagles held the pace and used kills from Kessler and Vaughn to finish off the set with the sweep in sight.
Joplin faced its first sense of adversity in the final set. The Dragons and Eagles battled to a 12-10 score, with JHS in front, after an ace from Alycia Cosens and a block by Onna Jorge.
The Eagles responded by scoring eight of the next 10 points to take control late onto the sweep.
“They just played with confidence,” Saunders said of her team’s ability to finish off the sweep. “I feel like our seniors really stepped up and gave the rest of the team confidence. They never got down and knew they could do it.”
Owens finished with 11 kills, six digs, three blocks and two aces, while Vaughn had seven kills, five digs, a block and two aces. Noirfalise had 25 assists, nine digs, three aces and a block, while Calderon had six kills and a dig. Kessler closed with four kills and two blocks, while Kroll had three blocks and a dig.
Joplin (5-15-1) is at Neosho on Tuesday and at Nixa on Thursday before taking part in the Ozark Grand Slam Fest tournament over the weekend to close out the regular season.
