While the Houston High School volleyball team did everything possible to keep it close, in the end the squad from Liberty pulled out a straight sets victory in the Missouri State High School Activities Association Class 2 District 9 championship game Monday night at Cabool.
The top-seeded Lady Eagles took the first two sets by the same score of 25-17, and then staged a mighty comeback to win the third set in overtime, 26-24, and defeat the No. 2 Lady Tigers 3-0 to secure the district crown.
Houston never led in the first or second set, but the game Lady Tigers stayed within striking distance most of the way. Then in the third set, Houston grabbed the momentum and built a 15-7 lead.
But the Lady Eagles responded with a 15-4 run and held a 22-19 advantage after a kill by junior middle hitter Mackinzie Tomey.
With their season on the line, the Lady Tigers dug deep and forced the set into overtime.
After junior outside hitter Angie Smith smashed back-to-back kills and then served up an ace, Houston was on top 24-23, needing only one more point to stay alive and send the game into a fourth set. But Liberty closed out the district championship by scoring the next 3 points, tying the score on a kill by senior outside hitter Kenzie Daniels and then establishing the necessary 2-point margin on back-to-back kills by junior middle hitter Bre Daniels.
Similarly to what took place in the South Central Association conference match between the two teams Sept. 29 in Houston, the deep and athletic Lady Eagles produced numerous digs of difficult-to-get balls to extend rallies throughout the match, often scoring points in the process by sending the ball into openings in the Lady Tigers’ defense.
“We needed to play with the energy of the third set the first two sets,” said HHS head coach Loran Richardson. “I think that would have given us the confidence and momentum we needed to win.”
Smith had 11 kills, 14 digs and 3 aces in the game, while senior middle hitter Olivia Crites had 13 digs, freshman Kayla Wagner had 11 assists and junior Kelsey Pritchett scored on 3 blocks.
Liberty (27-4-3) reached the title game with a 3-1 win over fourth-seeded Cabool in a semifinal contest last Saturday, while Houston earned a berth in the final with a 3-1 victory over No. 3 Thayer.
The feisty Lady Bobcats led at some point in sets 1 through 3 of the semifinal, but ultimately fell to the Lady Tigers, 25-21, 25-20, 19-25, 25-23.
Trailing 22-12 in the final set, Thayer (18-14-1) mounted a spirited comeback with a 12-2 run that cut Houston’s lead to 24-23.
Under heavy pressure with the crowd going wild, the Lady Tigers bent but didn’t break and scored the match-clinching point on a big kill by senior Crites.
“It wasn’t pretty at times but a win is a win,” Richardson said.
Smith had a career-high 22 kills in the game, while also recording 26 digs. Crites smacked 15 kills in the contest, while senior setter Makenzi Arthur had 26 assists and 2 aces, Wagner had 17 assists and the 6-foot Pritchett scored on 4 blocks.
Smith and Crites were voted to the All-District First Team, while Arthur and Wagner made the Second Team and Pritchett received Honorable Mention.
Liberty advances to the Class 2 state tournament and will face the winner of the District 1 championship game between Portageville and East Prairie in a sectionals round matchup on Thursday (Oct. 27).
Houston closed out the regular season schedule in style on Tuesday of last week, winning in straight sets in a South Central Association conference match at Willow Springs, 25-18, 25-17, 25-14.
The Lady Tigers finished the season with a record of 22-10-1, marking the second straight year the squad won at least 20 games (with last year being the first since 2007).
“This group of girls hates to lose and were competitive in almost every match we played,” Richardson said, “We had some rough patches during the season, but overall the girls had a great year and really improved. We had a lot of spots to fill after last year and they all stepped up and came together.”
“This season, we all became closer as a family and we worked hard to get to where we got,” Smith said. “No matter what happened, we all left our hearts out on the court and didn’t give up. Even through the tough battles we had each other’s backs.
“I think we had a successful season despite our losses.”
Smith will return in 2023 as a 4-year varsity player for the Lady Tigers. She’ll be joined by Pritchett and a few other seniors, along with Wagner and numerous other juniors and sophomores who will play significant roles.
“Next year we’ll be young and we’ll have some fresh feet on the court,” Smith said. “I think if we work hard and get mentally stronger together, we can become successful. I see some girls who have potential to step up into other roles. If we stay disciplined, we could surprise some people with what we can do.”
“This past year was great,” Pritchett said. “Everyone got along well and worked together good. The underclassmen stepped up and did a very good job in the roles they were given.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store for next year.”
