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By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
First set? No sweat, again, for the Willard Lady Tigers.
Willard edged Nixa at home in three sets (20-25, 25-23, 25-23) Tuesday night in a matchup of two of the area’s top teams and favorites in the Central Ozark Conference title race.
Like it did nearly two weeks ago in a three-set home win over Logan-Rogersville, Willard came back to win after dropping the first set.
Willard has plenty of experience with big games and pressure situations – the Lady Tigers have most of their lineup back from a team that reach the Class 4 final four a year ago.
“They battle back. They don’t get tight or afraid,” Willard coach Jamalee Hancock said of her team. “They believe in themselves and they know there’s a third set if we lose the first one.
“It’s really tough to get that (resiliency) out of a team, so when you find it you hope it stays.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE MATCH
Lady Tigers senior Ashley Lasher led the team in kills (15) and blocks (4).
Willard (17-2 overall) pulled ahead just after the 15-point mark in the second set to avoid the sweep. A kill from senior Emily Terry and an ace from sophomore Kindall Smithson ignited an 8-1 Willard run that put the Lady Tigers up, 23-17.
“I think it was just a mental mindset,” said Willard setter Ashton Wildermuth, who recorded 33 assists. “We had to let (the first-set loss) go and begin a new set like we did against Rogersville.”
Willard went ahead 9-4 in the third set, but Nixa stormed back and held a two-point lead (20-18) nearing match point. The Lady Tigers scored seven of the final 10 points to take the match.
“Willard’s a team that we matchup with as even as anybody else we play,” said Nixa coach Annie Zimmerman of the close loss.
The turning point, Zimmerman said, came down to aggressive serving.
“Willard did a better job serving aggressively at us in that second set and that changed the flow of our offense a little bit,” she said. “We weren’t able to be in system right off the bat and that made a difference for us.”
Lauren Weber led Nixa (10-2 overall) with 11 kills. Four other Lady Eagles had eight kills apiece. Nixa setter Sydney Golden finished with 40 assists.
Libero Taylor Crighton led Willard with 25 digs.
“Our defense was huge. Taylor was all over the place digging balls,” Hancock said.
Both teams still have a long way to go in the conference title race. Tuesday night was only the conference opener for both, and perennial contenders like Carl Junction, Carthage, Ozark and an improved Branson team still loom on the schedule.
“There’s a lot of games left to play,” Zimmerman said. “We’re going to go out and try to win every single conference game we play and who knows what might happen by the end of it.”
Nixa returns to action Thursday night at home versus Carthage. Willard hosts Neosho the same night.
Willard 2, Nixa 1
(20-25, 25-23, 25-23)
Stat leaders
Nixa
Kills: Lauren Weber 11, Jaycee Fixsen 8, Kenzie Hines 8, Jordan Collard 8, Taylor Golmen 8
Assists: Sydney Golden 40
Digs: Lexie Gregory 28, Alexis Adams 17
Blocks: Kenzie Hines 2
Willard
Kills: Ashley Lasher 15
Assists: Ashton Wildermuth 33
Digs: Taylor Crighton 25
Blocks: Lasher 4
