By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The outcome wasn’t what they wanted. The experience is something they’ll never forget.
Because up to this point, no volleyball team from Billings High School had made it this far.
Billings fell 25-22, 25-15 to West Platte in Saturday’s Class 1 MSHSAA Volleyball Championships 3rd place match at the Show-Me Center in Cape Girardeau.
The Wildcats finish fourth in Class 1.
“It was amazing just to get to experience this and even being here,” said Billings senior Liz Gearing. “The thought of being fourth in the state is just crazy.”
The weekend marked Billings’ first state final four appearance in program history.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE MATCH
“The girls have been excited the whole time,” said Billings coach Brandi Sillavan. “The competition was definitely tough the whole weekend. But we never gave up until the end and our girls put out the best fight that they could. Unfortunately, today, we didn’t get there.”
Billings took an early 9-5 lead in the first set, before West Platte seized control and went ahead 22-17.
Billings scored four straight to get within one, but West Platte (30-8-2 overall) closed out the first set and led from start to finished in the second set.
“I wouldn’t say it was (lack of) energy today. I think we just got in our heads a little quicker than normal,” Sillavan said.
For Billings, Gearing had a match-high 19 assists and junior Bailey Groves had a match-high 11 kills.
Lexy VanZandt (13), Groves (11) and Gearing (10) led Billings in digs. The Wildcats finished with a team attack percentage of just six percent.
Lexie Smither (nine) and Lara Lieske (eight) led West Platte in kills.
Billings finishes 27-8-2 overall. The Wildcats graduate five seniors.
“Our seniors are our leaders on the floor. They’re irreplaceable,” Sillavan said. “But I hope my juniors are ready to step up into their shoes and be the team leaders that we had this year.”
The Billings seniors have grown up together through sports.
“Even as a kid, this (state) has always been the dream,” Gearing said. “Senior year, we all knew that this was the year to go.”
