By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
With district seeding at stake, Ozark notches statement win over Nixa
Nixa, Mo. — While the Nixa-Ozark rivalry can never be overstated, Thursday’s high-stakes showdown saw both teams scrambling for postseason position.
The prize? A chance at the top seed in what might well be the state’s most difficult district.
In the final match before Friday’s Class 4 District 11 bracket is set, Ozark staked its claim for a likely No. 1 seed with a three-set victory (19-25, 25-21, 25-22).
In a showdown featuring Ozark’s size and aggression versus Nixa’s ball control and defensive awareness, fans got to see a little bit of everything … including another slow start out of the blocks from the Lady Tigers.
Nixa took advantage of a boisterous home crowd and several Ozark miscues to reel off a 10-0 run early in the set behind the strong service game of libero Madison Grantham.
The Nixa run stretched the lead to 13-5, but Ozark would not go quietly.
The Lady Tigers rallied with 6-0 run to cut the lead to 17-13; however, they would get no closer, as Nixa closed out the set with a 25-19 victory.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
After seizing the early momentum, Nixa head coach Annie Zimmerman wasn’t surprised to see Ozark rally.
“Sometimes, [Ozark] is kind of known for that slow start,” Zimmerman said. “But you can never, ever, ever count them out. I knew that they would finish that first set strong.”
With both teams finding rhythm in the second set, points came at an absolute premium. Neither Ozark nor Nixa could build any significant momentum early on, as the two teams combined for five ties and three lead changes.
With the score tied at 9-all, Ozark finally made a push to take and stretch a lead.
Kennedee Anderson’s back-to-back aces helped propel the Lady Tigers on a 5-1 run and 14-10 lead.
Following the first-set loss, the junior setter talked about her team’s ability to keep cool under pressure.
“The good thing about us is, once we do get down, we don’t give up,” Anderson said. “We keep our composure, and we know that we’re able to win any game that we want to play. We know that we can get a pass; we know that we can get a set; we know that we can get a kill. It’s not anything physical for us. It’s completely mental at this point.”
Ozark head coach Adeana Brewer attributed the sluggish start to her team’s inability to deal with the big-match atmosphere and tough opponent early on.
“Definitely in the first set, we were letting the environment and Nixa control everything about the game,” Brewer said. “Until we could a handle on getting control of our own side, the tides were not going to turn.”
While Ozark’s tide did finally turn for the better, Nixa would rally late.
A 5-0 run brought the Lady Eagles back within three at 24-21; however, a Macey Putt kill closed the door and gave Ozark the equalizing win.
In the third set, fans were treated to a heavyweight battle at the net. With both teams locked in defensively, the match turned into a contest of wills between Ozark’s Putt and Nixa’s Jordan Collard.
The senior and sophomore went back-and-forth for most of the set, each notching 5 kills in a tooth-and-nail final frame that went down to the wire, with Ozark again thwarting a late Nixa rally to close out the match with a 25-22 victory.
Putt finished the match with 15 kills for Ozark to go with Anderson’s 34 assists, 11 digs and 3 aces.
For Nixa, both Collard and Kenzie Hines finished with 12 kills, Taylor Gregory notched 35 assists and Grantham tallied 21 digs.
After the match, Zimmerman talked about her sophomore stepping up in a big match environment.
“I thought [Collard] handled herself really well,” Zimmerman said. “I feel like tonight was probably the most aggressive I’ve seen her, and I really think this will give her a confidence boost. Going up against some of the biggest and toughest hitters that we’re going to see throughout the whole state, I definitely think she held her own, and in some parts of that game, she was dominant for us at the net.”
The victory makes Friday’s seeding a little less stressful for the Lady Tigers. Assuming the bracket plays out by the numbers, Ozark would avoid both Nixa and Kickapoo until the championship match and, more importantly, would only need to defeat one of the two to advance to the sectional round.
“It’s going to definitely be an interesting seed-out tomorrow,” Brewer said. “We’ve had some quality wins late in the season … I feel like that’s a statement I can make. We’ve had the most legitimate wins late in the season to represent how our teams are playing right now. Obviously, I want the one-seed, but I’m going to coach my team the same no matter what seed we get.”
As for Nixa, a district rematch with Ozark will likely include a staunch clash with Kickapoo beforehand in the semifinal. While Zimmerman realizes the opportunity was there for a potential No. 1 seed, her team has been focused on the district gauntlet since day one.
“I don’t think [the plan] changes at all for us,” Zimmerman said. “We’ve been preparing for that possibility from the very beginning of the season. We know this is one of the toughest districts in the state, and you’re probably going to have to get through two very good teams in order to even get to the championship game, but we know the things that we have to do to get there.”
After a day off, both teams get set to play in this weekend’s Ozark Grand Slam. Ozark (19-6-1) hits the pool Saturday with Helias Catholic, Holden and Lees Summit North, while Nixa (16-6) opens pool play with Republic, Lafayette and Greenwood, Ark.
Varsity final: Ozark – 2, Nixa – 1 (19-25, 25-21, 25-22)
JV final: Ozark – 2, Nixa – 0 (25-21, 25-17)
Frosh final: Ozark – 2, Nixa – 0 (25-17, 25-16)
