CABOOL – The Houston High School volleyball team’s 2014 season ended Monday night with a 25-14, 25-9 loss to Cabool in the opening round of the Class 2 District 9 tournament.
The defeat completed the careers of HHS seniors Megan Silveus and Nora Dixon. Houston finished with an 8-19-2 record under fourth-year coach Skye Wade.
In Monday’s other first-round matches, second-seeded Licking beat Plato 25-11, 25-20 and No. 5 Willow Springs outlasted fourth-seeded Willow Springs 19-25, 25-12, 25-23.
Top-seeded Liberty, which received a first-round bye, faces Willow Springs at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the semifinals. Cabool and Licking will square off in the second semifinal at 6:15 p.m. The championship match follows at 7:45 p.m.
Houston started strong in its district-opening match. But it didn’t last.Â
Junior Sarah Kelley had a pair of kills as HHS opened the match with a 7-5 advantage. Cabool wiped away the deficit with a 16-3 rally to take a commanding 21-10 lead.Â
After kills by Kelly and Katelyn Martinez to end the run, Cabool scored four of the next six points to seal the set.
The Lady Bulldogs carried the momentum into the second set as they raced ahead 6-1. Houston crept closer with kills from Silveus and Kelley as the gap closed to 8-4 and it was 11-6 following Dixon’s kill.
But Cabool scored eight of the next nine points and after two tallies by Houston, ended with match with six unanswered points to advance.Â
Monday’s matches
First round
Licking def. Plato, 25-11, 25-20.
Willow Springs def. Ava, 19-25, 25-12, 25-23.
Cabool def. Houston, 25-14, 25-9.
Tuesday’s matches
Semifinals
(1) Liberty vs. (5) Willow Springs, 5 p.m.
(2) Licking vs. (3) Cabool, 6:16 p.m.
Finals
Championship, 7:30 p.m.