Daniel leads SHS volleyball team to upset win over Bluff

JACKSON -- Sikeston's volleyball team picked the right time to play its best match of the year on Monday night, upsetting Poplar Bluff in the Class 4 District 1 Tournament.

Poplar Bluff came into the match ranked No. 10 in the regional volleyball poll and was seeded third in the district. Sikeston was the No. 6 seed.

"I suppose the team isn't quite ready to quit yet," said Sikeston head coach Steve Beydler. "They really pulled together. I'm extremely pleased with the way every player played tonight. They came through a lot of adversity from last week."

The Lady Bulldogs won the first set 15-12, lost the second 9-15, then came back to win the third 15-10.

Joy Daniel led the charge for Sikeston, finishing with 17 kills, four blocks and six service points.

"Tonight, as Joy went, so did our team," said Beydler. "Even with her huge night, we still had some other girls that really stepped up and had some personal bests tonight."

In the first match, the two sides traded the lead six times and were tied on five occasions.

"Give credit to Sikeston," said Poplar Bluff coach Chandra Pierce. "They played awesome. They had great defense tonight. (Daniel) was on fire. (Rachel Vining) was killing us down the line because that's where we have our small blocker. She was just burning us. Sikeston played real smart."

Vining finished with eight kills, three points and one block. Berneatress Hunt added six kills and two blocks. Paige Kaiser contributed four kills, two blocks, six points and one ace.

"We were blocking well," said Beydler. "They were spread out pretty evenly across the girls who need to be blocking, which is what we've been working on preparing for this match. We really thought if we could block their big hitters and get some digs at the right moment, we had an opportunity to pull off this upset."

Maggie Pfefferkorn has six points and one ace. Emily Slaten finished with six points.

"None of this would be possible without a good pass, then a good set," said Beydler. "Emily Slaten and Maggie Pfefferkorn did a very good job of keeping the ball up on the net so the girls could put it away."

Erin Box had 12 points and two aces, and Tara Shoemaker contributed one block.

Sikeston (14-13-2) has another stiff test up today, facing No. 2 Jackson at 6:30 p.m. Jackson defeated Cape Central 15-8, 15-10 on Monday.

"After tonight, we're ready for anything," said Beydler. "We have nothing to lose. Everybody looks beyond a number six seed, but now, I think Jackson has a little something to think about before they look ahead to the championship game. Like I told the girls, anything is possible."

CLASS 1, DISTRICT 2

BELL CITY - Oran opened the Class 1 District 2 tournament with a three-set win over Richland on Monday night.

The Lady Eagles lost the first set 6-15, but came back to win the second 15-3 and the third 15-9.

Candace Duncan had 14 points, two kills and seven digs. Tori St. Cin contributed five points, one kill and six digs. Teresa Hodges had four points and five kills.

Amber Seyer provided three points, seven kills and two blocks.

"We had a horrible first game against Richland," said Oran head coach Tonya Skinner. "We were hitting everything out and in the net. The second two games against Richland, we played really well."

With the win, Oran moved on to the semifinal round, where the lost to top-seeded Bell City.

The top-seeded Lady Cubs defeated Oran in the semifinals Monday night in straight sets.

Bell City won the first set 15-10, then the second 15-8. For Oran, Hodges had eight kills, three blocks and five digs. Seyer had five points, three kills and three blocks. Duncan had three points, one kill and three digs.

"I think we gave Bell City a little bit of a scare," said Skinner. "The girls played really good defense and didn't give up."

Oran ends the year with a record of 12-16-3.

"We had a quality season," said Skinner. "We had a couple players out for a week due to illness and other things, and that made it kind of tough. After that, (we) kind of bounced back and put together some wins."

CLASS 1, DISTRICT 3

ZALMA - In the Class 1 District 3 volleyball tournament at Zalma, fourth-seeded Oak Ridge defeated fifth-seeded Chaffee in three sets.

The Lady Red Devils were able to win the first set 15-8, but lost the second 12-15 and the third 15-11.

Ashton Lee had two blocks, one dig, one kill, eight points and 18 assists. Jennifer Vandeven contributed six blocks, 13 digs, nine kills and two points. Mallory Kiefer had two blocks, two digs, one kill, nine points and one ace.

Natalie Townsend had two blocks, five digs, two kills and six points.

Ashley Graham added two blocks, one dig, one kill, six points and three aces. Lindsey Everett had two assists and three kills.

Molly Fowler contributed one dig and six points. Shanda Wood added one dig.

"I was very pleased with the progress the girls made from the beginning of the season to the end of the season," said Chaffee head coach David Mirly. "We faced Oak Ridge in the second game of the season and couldn't even compete against them. By the end of the year, we beat them once, then had them on the ropes tonight. I was proud of the way the girls played."

Chaffee ends its season with a record of 8-16.

"The seniors Ashley Graham and Jennifer Vandeven really laid the foundation and turned the program around for us," said Mirly. "Now it's the underclassmen's job to keep it going."