By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
It’s a good year to be a Sarcoxie fan…
On Friday, the football team will play for its first-ever SRVC title. And, to get the community ready for that game, the volleyball team decided they’d beat them to the punch, using a three-set win over Liberal on Tuesday to claim a share of the SRVC volleyball title with Jasper.
“It’s such a great feeling,” said Sarcoxie head coach Lindsay Perigo. “This group has worked really since right after their eighth grade year; they’ve been in the gym all the time. They’ve earned it, they deserve it and I’m really proud of them.”
The Lady Bulldogs – who entered Tuesday with a chance to win a share of the SRVC – seemed poised to make some history of their own after stealing the first set 31-29.
The final 19 points of the set were played within a two-point margin, with the emotions of Senior Night adding to what was already an intense game.
“It’s always tough on Senior Night; there were a lot of tears in that locker room,” said Perigo. “I felt like after we were able to compose ourselves we played much better.”
Sarcoxie was able to cruise through the second and third set, holding off late rallies from Liberal, to win the program’s first conference championship since 1995.
It was a big stat night. For Sarcoxie, Kierston Dodson unofficially had 40 assists and Giselle Lopez 15 digs. Peyton Kisling added 17 kills.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE MATCH
Liberal’s Carly Spencer had 17 kills. Kaylee Daniels handed out 25 assists and Callie Cornell had 14 digs.
For both teams, Tuesday is a preview for exactly what they’ll see next week in districts.
Liberal, the No. 1 seed in Class 1 – District 9, went unbeaten against the rest of the district, but the Lady Bulldogs will likely have to beat SRVC rivals Jasper or Lockwood to win a district title.
Tuesday may have snapped the Lady Bulldogs 22-game unbeaten streak, but Liberal – who had played eight three-set games, is extremely capable of making a playoff run.
“In the locker room we talked about using this loss as motivation and using it to get going again,” said Liberal head coach Becky Lowery. “We’re the top seed in our district and we feel confident going in, we just have to be ready to play; at this point of the year nobody is going to just quit, you’ve got to bring your best every night.”
Sarcoxie is the No. 1 seed in Class 2 – District 11 and reigning district champion.
Seniors Kerleen Amando, Aubrey Carr, Micah Edwards, Sarah Mandera and Reagan Roberson leave the program as the most accomplished class in two decades. While they are hoping to add another district title to the resume, this group has already righted the ship of Sarcoxie Volleyball.
“We have a lot of younger kids that are playing club ball and playing volleyball all year that come to our games,” said Perigo. “I think the culture here is changing back to where it was in the 80s and 90s.”
