By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
MILLER, MO – After dropping a set last week during the Class 2 District 11 semifinal, Miller volleyball head coach Tamra Landers urged her team to refocus and find another gear for its championship match.
Her message was received loud and clear.
The No. 1 Cardinals rolled past No. 2 Diamond 3-0 (25-10, 25-15, 25-22) to capture a second-straight district title Tuesday night.
Miller’s dominant play was primarily fueled by seniors Rachel Nunez and Ashlynn Helton.
“They actually came out to play tonight,” Landers said. “I teased them because they like to make me go gray; they’ll just play around, play around and play around until they finally decide they want to go. They told me today, they were going to go from the beginning, and they did a pretty good job.”
In the first two sets, Miller grabbed early momentum and didn’t look back. A 9-0 run to start the first set and a 5-0 run in the second put Diamond back on its heels and mostly out of system.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE MATCH
“I think the key was to get those first big kills off the bat, because my two middles hit the ball hard, and nobody wants it,” Landers said. “People just kind of stand back and hit it. Well, Ash came in and got a bunch of good kills. We got a bunch of good passes there in the beginning, and we just rolled.”
Helton was particularly effective at the net. The all-state honoree finished the match with 21 kills to lead the Cardinals.
While Helton helped power Miller’s attack, Nunez played the part of one-girl defensive wrecking crew at the other end, routinely covering Diamond hitters at the net and digging balls back into play from the back row.
“Rachel is hard on herself,” Landers said. “And she was a little hard on herself tonight. I said just relax and play ball, and she did – she plays a mean back row. Typically, you don’t have a middle that plays all the way around and does that well, but her and Ash do the same – both play really good on both sides of the ball.”
Nunez, another Cardinals all-state selection, finished the match with 18 digs and 3 blocks.
In the third set, Miller began to struggle, somewhat, and the Wildcats responded with an inspired rally, keeping the score tight and within five points throughout the set.
For Diamond head coach Janalyn Kralicek, the change of pace was most welcome.
“I don’t know if it was just nerves or what coming in,” Kralicek said. “We had a good mentality coming in and wanted to have a good, aggressive game, compete with them and everything. After those first two sets, a switch just flipped all of the sudden and we started to show up and play, but it was just too late at that point to try and come back from such a deficit.
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO OF THE MATCH
While Diamond fell 25-23 to close out the match and end its season at 19-8-1, Kralicek was proud of her team for not giving up in such a challenging position.
“Our defense was running great. We just couldn’t really execute completely on our offense,” Kralicek said. “Still, the girls went out there and left it all on the court. At the end of the day, I’m so proud of them and what they’ve done this season.”
Up next for Miller (30-4-1) is a sectional round matchup Oct. 30 against Adrian. For Landers, it’s an opportunity to continue forward with a very special group she’s watched grow up over the years.
“I’ve known these girls since they were little bitty,” Landers said. “So, it’s very special to have this group moving forward. They mean a lot to me. They’re a lot of fun, but boy, they’re frustrating sometimes.”
Class 2 District 11 Final: Miller – 3, Diamond – 0 (25-10, 25-15, 25-22)
