By Michael Smith/Special to OzarksSportsZone.com
Kickapoo had things well under control.
The Chiefs had already won two sets and were up 23-14 and looked to be well on their way to a second consecutive Class 5 volleyball final four appearance in Saturday’s quarterfinal matchup with Blue Springs South on the road.
The Jaguars, however, made a furious comeback, going on a 6-0 run to narrow the gap to 23-20. After head coach Marci Adams called a timeout, Kickapoo settled in and outscored South 2-1 the rest of the way in a 25-21, 25-23, 25-21 victory on the road.
“This game felt like a bunch of mini roller coasters,” Adams said. “We were able to keep it together and move on to the next point.”
The victory was capped when senior Parker Papa slammed a spike off the hands of a pair of South blockers as the ball went out of bounds on the Jaguars’ side of the net. Papa dropped to her knees, threw both her arms in the air and screamed in celebration.
Her teammates dogpiled on top of her and went into a frenzy.
The Chiefs now get a rematch against Lafayette Wildwood at 2 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau. Last season, they fell to the Lancers in the state championship match.
“This is so exciting,” senior Isabella Faria said. “We feel confident going to state and the chemistry this team has is something I will never forget.”
Kickapoo was dominant and its largest deficit was 2-0 at the beginning of the first game. The Chiefs led the majority of the match and were led versatile players like junior Hannah Gardner, Faria and senior Claire Doennig.
Gardner was listed as a setter on the roster but led the Chiefs with 13 kills. She has served as a setter and right side hitter. She was effective at the net and setting her teammates up for kills. She had multiple powerful spikes that went unreturned by South.
“I set for three rotations and swing for three,” Gardner said. “I just try to do what I can and get my hitters good balls and take good swings when I am in the front row.”
Added Faria: “I think having her as a lefty on the right is a big advantage for us because defending a lefty is super hard, especially against the block.”
Faria chipped in with seven on offense. She showed her versatility, as well, making several key digs in the back row to save some points for the 34-4 Chiefs.
Doennig also had seven kills and gave the Jaguars fits in the middle as she had a handful of key blocks. In fact, two other players had at least five kills for the Chiefs. Papa had six and senior Lilly Maupin had five.
“We do a really good job of spreading the ball around and mixing up our people that hit,” Faria said. “We have that advantage over other teams.”
After falling 2-0 in the first set, Kickapoo came storming back to take a 22-13 lead following a kill from senior Jenna Perryman. South countered with a 9-2 run capped by a kill from junior Jaylynn Tunley to make it 24-21. But Gardner led the team with four kills in the set and her final one helped the Chiefs end it with a win.
A tightly-contested second set featured nine ties, with the final one being at 19-all. Kickapoo created some separation with a 3-0 spurt, highlighted by two aces from Perryman. The Chiefs eventually won the set by two points thanks to two clutch kills from Gardner.
The Chiefs dominated the third set until the Jaguars made a late run to pull within three points. But Papa punched her team’s ticket to state with her match-sealing kill.
“This is really gratifying because we worked so hard for this,” Gardner said. “This group of girls is so strong willed.”
