By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Webb City volleyball had a lot to replace from last season’s district championship team.
But head coach Rhonda Lawrence and the Lady Cardinals refused to chalk up 2024 as a “rebuilding” season.
All those practices and scrimmages the last few years had to count for something, right?
“If you would’ve told me at the beginning of the year that our leadership would be as strong as it has been this year? I was a little concerned about it,” Lawrence said. “Our young players had to step up and play like they’ve been in there the whole time. They can’t sit back and go, ‘Oh well, I’m young.’”
“No, you’re with us. You’ve been practicing with us. You were in practices across the net from some of the best players in the state last year. You better put it on the floor now.”
The Lady Cardinals have certainly done that.
New cast, same championship results.
Webb City earned its fourth straight district championship – and fifth in six seasons – by defeating Marshfield 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-7, 25-23) on Saturday afternoon in the Class 4 District 6 Tournament championship game at Springfield Catholic High School.
“It shows a lot about our team and our coaching staff,” Webb City senior Mia Lenker said about the district four-peat. “And our culture at Webb City.”
Webb City graduated five varsity players, including two all-state selections, from last season’s 27-win team. The Lady Cardinals have just two seniors this year: Lenker and Kirra Long.
“Losing is a habit and – thank God – winning is a habit as well. When you’re used to success and get a taste of it, you don’t want to lose it,” Lawrence said. “I’m a little more emotional about this game because this is four years in a row that these kids are truly buying in for each other and playing that hard for each other.”
Multiple varsity players have stepped into new, prominent roles for Webb City.
Sophomore Jaylee Van Becelaere, a defensive specialist last season, is now a six-rotation player.
Junior Avery Gardner leads the team in digs, following the graduation of all-state libero Sophia Crane.
“We definitely had a really big loss – both in talent and personality – from last season,” said Webb City junior and middle Jaeli Rutledge. “We didn’t know what it was going to be like this season coming in. I think we all just did a really good job of finding our roles and doing whatever we can to help the team.”
Webb City will host either Jefferson City or Union in the Class 4 quarterfinal round next Saturday, Nov. 2. Jefferson City and Union play in their district final on Tuesday night, Oct. 29.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE MATCH
Jefferson City beat Webb City in five sets in the state quarterfinal round last year.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Lawrence said of the quarterfinal match. “When you lose those playoff games that are tight like that, you want that back. You want another shot.”
The Lady Cardinals prevailed on Saturday behind strong serves and active net play.
After the teams split the first two sets, Webb City erupted in set three (25-7) and found its groove.
“Webb did an awesome job of serving and we just didn’t pass the ball as well as we normally do,” said Marshfield coach Jarod Olson. “This might’ve been the toughest that we’ve ever been serve-receive wise. It was hard to find an answer for it.
“Offensively, we didn’t have a lot of juice. We had it in spurts, but we just couldn’t consistently get it done.”
Rutledge showed why she’s a future Division I player, as the Kansas commit took advantage of an undersized Marshfield squad. She leads Webb City in kills (397 total entering the game, 3.9 per set) and blocks (102 total).
“We’re not used to seeing that size on a consistent basis,” Olson said. “I’m an old man and I can try to replicate it in practice, but it doesn’t work the same way.”
The fourth and final set of the match was the best one. Marshfield jumped out to an early 9-4 lead before Webb City surged in front, 16-12.
With the Lady Cardinals closing in on victory, Marshfield rallied from a 21-16 deficit to tie the match at 23-all.
Saturday afternoon’s title match was a short turnaround following Friday night’s competitive semifinal matches that went five sets each. Marshfield, the No. 3 seed, beat 2-seed Carl Junction. Top seed Webb City dodged an upset bid by 4-seed Springfield Catholic.
“Going to five sets last night, it kind of put things in perspective for us,” Rutledge said. “It made us realize, ‘Ok, we need to go. This isn’t just a (normal) game. It’s districts and if you lose, you’re done.’”
Marshfield finishes with its best record (31-6-1 overall) in at least two decades.
“I’m proud of our girls’ effort,” Olson said. “The way we stuck together to the end. They love each other. It was a fun season.”
The Lady Jays will graduate just one senior: libero Ruby Joiner. Marshfield’s junior-heavy team will return as seniors next season and try to win the program’s first district title in about 25 years.
“I’m excited for these girls and what we’ll have coming back,” Olson said. “The season that we’ve had this year was just Chemistry 101. We’re not very big, but we play together, and we stick together. Next year, we’ll be another year stronger and another year smarter.”
