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VOLLEYBALL: Webb City earns sweep over Joplin on Senior Night

By:
Lucas Davis

WEBB CITY, Mo. — Webb City sent its seniors off with a bang after earning a 25-14, 25-19 and 25-16 sweep over Joplin on Tuesday to close out the regular season on Senior Night inside the Cardinal Dome. 

“I was happy with the win,” Webb City coach Rhonda Lawrence said. “It’s always nice to beat Joplin with the rivalry. I felt like we composed ourselves. We didn’t do a lot of flashy things and didn’t push our limits as much as we should have, but we just have to get back to the grind.”

“It was huge because it gives us confidence going (into the postseason),” Coach Lawrence added about ending the regular season on a win. “We have to play with that confidence because once districts hit, anybody can beat anybody. If you have a bad night, you are going to be done and going home. We have to prepare ourselves mentally, which is nice that we did that against Joplin.”

Webb City senior setter Kyah Sanborn is pictured during Tuesday’s match against Joplin. Photo by Israel Perez.

Before the game, Webb City honored Brenda Lawrence, Kate Brownfield, Kyah Sanborn and Jenna Noel for Senior Night ceremonies.

“They’ve seen us lose a district title and were a part of two that we’ve won,” Coach Lawrence said. “They have a mission and are very set to it. I am just proud to have the opportunity to coach kids like that because they’ve completely bought in since they were young. I am super proud of them for their contributions and each one of them are pivotal in their positions for what they do for us.”

The win sends the Cardinals into the postseason with a 28-4-2 record on the season.

“I was very happy with the way we played this year,” Coach Lawrence said when asked to assess her team’s regular season. “There were a couple of matches I wish we could have back but that’s volleyball and you’re going to have that. It’s a game of spurts and who maintains their composure, and that’s probably where I am most proud of our team. Throughout the season, whether we are playing weaker teams or stronger teams, we’ve been able to maintain our composure mentally and stay focused. That will help us a lot in the bigger games (during the postseason).”

Webb City earned the top seed in the Class 4 District 6 tournament and will take on eighth-seeded Parkview (1-20-1) at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Willard High School.

“Everyone is going to come after us because we have a target on our back from being the No. 1 seed,” Coach Lawrence said. “It will be nice to play the top part of the bracket, but Parkview is going to give us all they’ve got. Those middle teams, that’s where it gets salty in our class. Anybody can beat anybody during district week. Our job is to focus and make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Joplin closes the season with a 16-16-1 record and is the fourth seed in the Class 5 District 7 tournament. The Eagles take on fifth-seeded Lee’s Summit North (11-21) at 6 p.m. on Thursday at the Lee’s Summit West Fieldhouse.

Webb City’s Aubree Lassiter serves up an ace against Joplin on Tuesday in the regular season finale. Photo by Israel Perez.

Aubree Lassiter led Webb City with 11 kills, six digs, two aces and a block, while Jaeli Rutledge added 10 kills and a block. Brownfield had nine kills, eight digs and two aces. Sanborn led the way with 28 assists to go along with nine digs and two kills. Lawrence finished with 14 digs and four kills, while Sophia Crane had 20 digs.

Bailey Owens had eight kills and a block, while Paisley Parker had six kills and five digs to lead Joplin. Adalynn Noirfalise had 16 assists and 10 digs. Jayla Hunter had 21 digs, while Serafina Auberry added 11.

Webb City used a trio of service runs to separate itself in the opening set against Joplin. Trailing 4-1, the Cardinals used a sideout and four service points from Brenda Lawrence, which included a block and a kill from Brownfield and a kill from Lassiter, to give WCHS a 6-4 advantage. After a kill from Rutledge to force sideout, a four-point run from Browfield in service stretched the lead to 14-8. Crane used a five-point run moments later to put the set out of reach with a 20-10 lead. Lawrence and Lassiter had kills, while Rutledge added a kill to force the sideout.

“Service is a big part of our success,” Coach Lawrence said. “We serve aggressively and we are smart when serving. It’s not always about how hard you serve, but where you serve and making them make decisions. We try to score three to four points every rotation and look at our sideout percentage on that.”

Joplin and Webb City played a back-and-forth second set, with the Eagles three ties midway through the set before the Cardinals took the slim lead for good and held on through the end for a 2-0 lead. A Bailey Owens kill tied the game at 9-9. Kills from WCHS’ Lassiter, Brownfield and Sanborn put Webb City up 13-10, but a three-point run from Abby Edwards, backed by two aces and a kill from Paisley Parker, put Joplin on top 14-13. Back to back kills from Brownfield and a Joplin attack error gave the Cardinals a two-point lead they wouldn’t relinquish in the way to the second-set win.

The Cardinals swung the momentum in their favor early in the third set with a nine-point service run from Lassiter that gave Webb City an 11-3 lead that never got away on the way to the sweep.

Joplin’s Paisley Parker earns a kill during the Eagles’ loss to Webb City on Tuesday. Photo by Israel Perez.

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