By Amanda Perkins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Liberty Lady Eagles are Final Four bound.
MVBT-Liberty hosted the Class 2 sectional and quarterfinals on Saturday and began the day with a fierce battle and win against Strafford, ending it with a victory over El Dorado Springs to advance in state play.
“We just came in preparing for Strafford, and the girls did a great job,” said Lady Eagles head coach Shari Tune. “We scouted and studied, and everybody is playing a different position; it was really good for them. Strafford has always been a competitive team in the post-season, so we knew it would be a battle, but being able to host on our own court was awesome.”
Liberty won the first set against the Strafford Lady Indians, 31-29, and the second by 25-20 to knock out the defending state runner-up. Tune said her team prevailed in that first match-up due in part to conditioning.
“I’m probably one of the few coaches, but we condition through the entire season,” said said. “In volleyball, there’s no long-distance stamina. You need short bursts of energy and you can’t maintain that if you aren’t conditioning. You can’t be in shape at the beginning of the season and maintain that if you aren’t conditioning. So that’s why we do that, because in rallies like that, for 30 seconds you give me all you’ve got, then you take a short break and you do it all again.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
In their sectional contest, El Dorado Springs topped Sarcoxie to face Liberty in the title game.
“We came out and beat Sarcoxie in two,” said Lady Bulldogs head coach Ashley Rogers. “Our first game was 25-15 and we played really well, and the second game we were a little sluggish and not quite clicking and ended up going 27-25. But I felt like the girls still played really hard and we were here for a purpose.”
The Lady Eagles jumped out to an early lead against El Dorado Springs in the quarterfinal match, 11-4, but the Lady Bulldogs battled back to tie the game, 16-16. The teams went back and forth to tie again at 20, but Liberty set up strong play at the net and allowed just one more point to win, 25-21.
In game two, Liberty led by just five, 13-8, but four points from Piper Francis and an Ally Smith kill helped propel them forward. Caitlyn Basham’s ace and El Dorado errors also benefited the host team, and they allowed only four more points, 25-12.
“Against Liberty, man, they’re a really good team,” said Rogers. “They worked really hard, are scrappy, dug everything up, are really quick and hit a lot of great balls. We worked hard but it wasn’t in our favor today.
The Lady Bulldogs lose four seniors and end their season with a 28-8-2 record.
“They all played their roles and did their jobs,” said Tune of her team. “We switched up a couple of things to make our defense better and it really worked, but everyone shines at different times, so there are no key role players, everybody does their job. Piper gets all the credit for how hard she hits the ball, but that doesn’t happen without a passer.”
Speaking of senior Piper Francis, her return to volleyball this season came at an opportune time for the Lady Eagles. She had 12 kills on the night.
“This is a huge accomplishment for our team,” said Francis. “This is what we have been working for all year. We had to win against some great teams today, but I think we showed a lot of heart on the floor when we were tested. We couldn’t have done it without our awesome coaches and the support from the community.”
Senior Ally Smith, who added 7 kills, 2 aces, and 2 blocks, said she couldn’t feel more blessed.
“Having seven seniors on our team is a huge factor,” she said. “Ending our careers as Liberty Eagles at the state tournament will be unforgettable. These girls are family to me, and I am so thankful for the opportunity that God has given to us.”
Senior Trinity Clark had 10 digs for the Lady Eagles, and Tehya Pierce 5 digs.
Coach Tune said her team will take time to celebrate their win and current 30-5-2 record. The Lady Eagles will next challenge will be pool play matches against St. Michael, Arcadia Valley and Hermann on Friday, Nov. 2.
