A former Houston High School volleyball coach has led a conference opponent to its first volleyball final four since the late 1980s.
Under the direction of Amy McNew, Mountain Grove beat Fair Grove and El Dorado Springs on Saturday to punch its ticket to the program’s first state championship appearance in 24 years.
The Lady Panthers, who were the top seed in Houston’s district, outlasted Fair Grove in three sets in the sectional round before topping El Dorado Springs in two sets in the quarterfinals.
Mountain Grove (27-8-2) faces Bishop LeBlond (35-1-2) on Friday at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau. The other final four teams are St. Pius X (32-3) and Fatima (33-4).
McNew was an assistant for five seasons at Houston under Debbie James. She was the head coach in 2010 and guided the team to a 16-14-2 mark. McNew resigned after one season to accept her current position at Mountain Grove.
A Branson High School graduate, McNew was a four-year volleyball standout from 1990-’93 at Missouri State University. She was one of six athletes enshrined Feb. 6, 2010, into the MSU Hall of Fame.