First weekend of volleyball is in the books
The first high school volleyball weekend is complete for Missouri. With the results of the Branson tourney, Willard is off to another strong start in 2020. After surviving a 3 set win over Kickapoo in the semifinals, Willard again survived…
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Continue ReadingThe first high school volleyball weekend is complete for Missouri. With the results of the Branson tourney, Willard is off to another strong start in 2020. After surviving a 3 set win over Kickapoo in the semifinals, Willard again survived the finals over Helias. Winning the Branson tourney to start the 2020 season was no small feat for the Willard Tigers. Starting with pool play in the morning had four pools of 4 teams
Pool A Pool B
Kickapoo 6-0 Willard 6-0
Branson 4-2 Mt. Vernon 4-2
Clinton 1-5 Strafford 2-4
Cassville 1-5 Mt.Grove 0-6
Pool C Pool D
Helias 6-0 Reeds Spring 5-1
Carthage 4-2 Republic 4-2
Lebanon 2-4 Parkview 2-4
Fair Grove 0-6 Summit Christian Academy 1-5
With the 1st place teams in each pool moving on the gold bracket, 2nd place to the silver, 3rd to the bronze bracket. With Carthage taking out Republic and Mt. Vernon to win the Silver bracket and only taking a loss from 2nd place finisher Helias. Having big days for the Tigers were outside hitters Brielle Cartwright, Sydnee Dudolski, and Grace Schriever. Carthage will be a formidable opponent for any team this year. Branson topped Republic in the 3rd place game in the Silver bracket.
Up first in the Gold bracket were the Willard Tigers and the Kickapoo Chiefs. Kickapoo jumped out on top and took set 1 25-9 over Willard. Wake up call for the Tigers as they came out on fire and took care of the Chiefs the next two sets and the match 25-18 and 25-19. Willard, of course, was carried by the two bombers Maddy Bushnell Maddy Bushnell 6'3" | MB Willard | 2021 State MO and Payton Van Veen Payton Van Veen 6'2" | OH Willard | 2021 State MO .
Semifinal number two had Jefferson City Helias up against Reeds Spring Wolves. With a balanced attack from Helias three-headed monster of Cate Albertson six kills, Beth Luebbert 4 kills, and 6’0 sophomore Chapel Dobbs 5 kills, Helias got past the wolves in two 25-22, 25-11. Reeds Spring had a great tourney from senior Isabella Fuller with 28 kills. Junior Jade Watson 17 kills, sophomore Kennedy Brown 10 kills, and junior Amarah Porter 52 assist. Reeds Spring went on and finished 4th overall in the tourney, taking a 14-25, 4-25 lost to Kickapoo in the 3rd place Gold bracket match.
Helias and Willard met in the finals, and as expected, these two power programs came to battle. With Missouri State commit, Maddy Buschnell hammering away in the set one, the Tigers were a little much for Helias to handle. Willard takes the first set 25-19. The Crusaders are not a team to just lay down. With Chapel Dobbs, Jacie Buschjost, and Cate Albertson leading the attach and Ella Randolph, Lacey Heidbrink Lacey Heidbrink S Helias | 2021 MO , and Landrey VanOverschelde keeping balls off the floor, Helias takes set two 25-21. Set three is as expected, and both teams send balls to the floor from the team’s big guns. In the end, it’s a couple of critical aces toward the end of the game that does in Helias, and Willard pulls out the early season tourney title.
Helias stands 4-1 and shouldn’t have another loss going into the Camdenton Tournament on September 19th. Willard moves to 5-0 and should carry an undefeated record into the Borgia Tournament on September 12th.