By Amanda Perkins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
For the first time since 1995, the Forsyth Lady Panthers are district volleyball champions.
It was a back and forth battle full of long volleys and stunning saves, but Forsyth overtook Mountain Grove in five sets Monday night (25-20, 25-17, 26-24, 25-17, 15-12). Mountain Grove was seeded first in the Class 3, District 10 tournament, Forsyth second.
“I’m extremely proud of this group,” said Forsyth head coach Mallory Richardson. “They have fought hard. This is my third year as head coach with them and each year they’ve gotten better and better. They are coachable, they work hard, and I couldn’t ask for more from them.”
Richardson said her team has practiced a winning mindset, “digging deep, and when things get hard, we keep pushing and don’t fold. We’ve been working on that, and it culminated tonight. I feel the girls played their best game as a group,” she added.
Game one was tied several times, but Mountain Grove began to pull away after being locked at 15-15. Essary’s work at the net kept Forsyth in the game, but Addison Welch and Claire Nelson were clutch down the stretch and Mountain Grove earned a five-point win.
The second game tied at 16 all after back-to-back kills from Forsyth’s Emmalea Cook, followed by back-to-back kills from Mountain Grove’s Reagan Hoerning. Tory Thompson’s diving saves kept the host team alive, but errors began to cost them. Kills from Annabelle Barrickman and Savannah Koen helped seal the 25-15 victory.
The third set was a battle to the finish. The teams tied at 24, but Mountain Grove claimed the final two points on a Forsyth error and a spike.
Forsyth pulled midway through the fourth, capitalizing on Grove’s errors and sending Koen in for kills, to lead by 12. Mountain Grove responded with five unanswered points before Forsyth sealed the deal.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE MATCH
In the final contest, the teams were tied at 10, but two Koen kills aided Forsyth in their three-point win.
Savannah Koen led Forsyth in kills with 30 on the night, and Kloe Hendrickson and Emmalea Cook had 37 and 34 digs respectively.
“It was definitely a team effort,” said Coach Richardson. “Savannah Koen on the front row as an outside attacker was huge, she led us in kills tonight. Belle Barrickman really stepped up for us with some aggressive swings. My right side, Lindsey Essary, did a good job setting the block. We had some key blocks tonight that really helped shut them down. And then on the back row, Emmalea Cook is one of my seniors that gives her all and is going on to play college ball next year. She has been a definite leader. Landry Stuart has come so far on defense and has kept us in games with key plays and pickups. Emma Barrickman had some great hustle plays tonight. Katelyn Collins did a great job setting up the block as well. And the other leader for us tonight is Oletha Rich, playing for her first year as varsity setter. She has come such a long way, playing right side for us, and she has really stepped up as setter. We wouldn’t be in this position tonight if we didn’t have her up there. Kloe Hendrickson was a stud for us on the back row in serve receive and on defense. She read the ball well and didn’t let much get past her.”
“It was a stressful night,” she added. “I thought I might deliver this baby!”
Mountain Grove head coach Ashley Martin said it was a brutal battle, just as her team expected. “We knew this was who we would see in the championship and we prepared day in and day out,” she said. “There were moments where they were more consistent than we were, when we got timid and they stayed aggressive, and we got outworked. We knew it would be a battle.”
“We’ve got four seniors this year,” said Coach Martin. “Addie Welch’s ability to stay calm and consistent was a huge part of our success. She’s our “quarterback” of the team; she runs our offense and sets up plays. She’s coachable and always works hard. Our libero, Claire Felker, always wants to work and I never have to question where her head is at. She keeps balls off the floor and throws her body wherever it has to go to do that. When you’ve got those two leading your team with the other two, Tory Thompson and Claire Nelson, playing defense and middle front, it’s a good setup. Then we have Reagan (Hoerning) and Raylee (Stenzel) opposite of each other and they are bangers and go to town on the outside and absolutely crush balls when we need them to. They had a good mojo going, and it was fun to coach, fun to watch.”
“They mean a lot, and it is going to be hard to fill their positions and roles,” she added. “I hope they know they are hard to replace. I hope that is something they haven’t had to question from my end, that I didn’t leave any doubt on where they stood. They got us through a lot of tough times. They are valuable and will be missed.”
Forsyth will take on Strafford at Strafford Thursday night.
