By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
After winning the district championship for three-straight years, the Sarcoxie volleyball team missed the cut for last year’s finals.
The Lady Bears can once again add to the trophy case after Tuesday night.
Sarcoxie scored the first nine points of the night and rolled to a 3-0 win against rival Pierce City in the Class 2 District 10 finals, earning another plaque with a 25-18, 25-15, 25-16 performance.
“It’s been a crazy year but it’s been exciting,” Sarcoxie coach Addison Berry said. “This is a great group of girls and it’s been exciting to see them grow and develop as players. It’s amazing how far they’ve come in just the two years I’ve been here.”
Sarcoxie, 20-11, will face Skyline, 26-2, on Halloween in the sectional round.
Tuesday’s win marked the second time in two weeks the Lady Bears beat the Lady Eagles – they won 3-0 on October 13. Just like the first time, Sarcoxie got off to a quick start.
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A kill by junior Carley Chandler capped a 9-0 run to open the first set, and while Sarcoxie was outscored the rest of the way, the early lead was too much for Pierce City to overcome.
A kill to the back corner by Pierce City junior Storie Linn cut it to 12-5, a tip by senior Leslie Jones made it 16-10 and the Lady Eagles got within five at 17-12 following a block by Jones and senior Madison Gripka.
Sarcoxie junior Jacy Roth answered with a kill to limit the damage.
Pierce City (16-12-1) got within four points late in the set following consecutive kills by junior Claire Eaton, sophomore Hailey Gripka and junior Riley Gripka that made it 22-18.
The Lady Bears answered with a kill to the back line by junior Mckenna Bass, who added a block before Sarcoxie closed it out 25-18.
“I think we had a chip on our shoulder, ready to go, wanting to beat them again,” Berry said. “Just it being Pierce City, I know that’s always been a rivalry for Sarcoxie so it was good to win and beat them in the district title.”
Pierce City coach Krishna Merriman blamed the slow start on district nerves.
“I think with it being Sarcoxie, they always have that extra little fire that comes to them,” she said. “I think instead of it working in our favor, sometimes they get a little too nervous and make some silly mistakes.”
Pierce City was a more confident team in the second set. The Lady Eagles jumped out to a 10-7 advantage and still led 11-10 following a tip by sophomore Trinity Witt. Sarcoxie, though, mounted a 6-1 run to pull ahead and led 20-15 following an ace by senior Chloe Lee. Bass extended it to 10 points with a kill and then Chandler closed out the set with a block.
“We really need to work on some mental toughness,” Merriman said. “I think a couple mistakes and we start to break down a little bit. That’s something for us to work on in the future. That comes with a little bit of maturity as well and a lot of experience.”
Unforced errors would hurt Pierce City again in the third set.
The Lady Eagles again allowed Sarcoxie to take an early lead, this time 6-1 following a kill by Chandler, but with help from a Hailey Gripka kill and a Riley Gripka ace, Pierce City pulled within 8-7.
Sarcoxie senior Kyann Ogle served up a pair of aces to keep her team ahead, but it was still just 11-10 moments later.
But Bass earned a kill that started another 9-0 run for the Lady Bears that included a kill by sophomore Jocelyn Benito and a host of Pierce City mistakes.
Bass sealed the win with another kill.
Berry was impressed with the play of junior setter Myra Caddick, junior libero Brooklyn Carr and Bass.
“All three of them did an awesome job today and definitely stuck out during the district tournament,” Berry said. “They’ve definitely been strong. We’ve got our two seniors, Chloe and Kyann, they were ready to get themselves a district title as seniors.”
