SEMO Dig for Life Red Division Tournament Preview!
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With over 60 teams heading to Cape Girardeau this weekend for the Dig for Life tournament, if you are searching for a play to watch 175 matches, then this is the place to be. The tournament is broken into two…
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Continue ReadingWith over 60 teams heading to Cape Girardeau this weekend for the Dig for Life tournament, if you are searching for a play to watch 175 matches, then this is the place to be. The tournament is broken into two separate divisions again this year. They take the top 24 teams and put them in the Red Division, and the remaining teams fall in the Black Division. Some of the teams should be moved around, but that’s left to the tournament coordinators. This tournament is a grueling one to win each year. Pools below and how we think they will finish for the Red Division.
Pool A
Rock Bridge 1st
Ste. Genevieve 2nd
Woodland 3rd
Eminence 4th
Pool B
Northwest 2nd
Cape Notre Dame 1st
South Iron 3rd
Gideon 4th
Pool C
Seckman 2nd
Saxony Lutheran 4th
Farmington 1st
Bloomfield 3rd
Pool D
Ellington 2nd
Hillsboro 3rd
Cape Central 1st
St. Vincent 4th
Pool E
Summersville 4th
Jefferson 2nd
Dexter 1st
Park Hills Central 3rd
Pool F
Valle Catholic 1st
Lesterville 2nd
Poplar Bluff 3rd
Kennett 4th
Pool A top 2
Rock Bridge- Class 5 Rock Bridge will roll through this pool A. Coming in with a 5-3 record, Bruins are lead by D1 recruit Ella Swindle Ella Swindle 6'2" | S Rock Bridge | 2023 State #6 Nation MO and her imposing block for a setter, but at 6’3, you’d expect that. Add in outsides Lily Dudley Lily Dudley 5'10" | OH Rock Bridge | 2023 State #192 Nation MO and Emma Lea Benney Emma Lea Benney 5'10" | OH Rock Bridge | 2022 State MO , the Bruins, have a solid team. Plus 7 of the 15 on the roster are 5’11 or taller. You won’t see another team in this tourney with that much height.
Ste. Genevieve- The Dragons come in with a 3-1 record, having lost in 5 to Jackson to start the year. Dragons have a trio of hitters that will make things difficult for Pool A. Abby Moore, Dru Koetting, and Arie Taylor are the top 3 hitters on the team. Mix in Aj Prudent and her blocking skills, and the Dragons will give Rock Bridge a few fits.
Pool B top 2
Cape Notre Dame- The Bulldogs came in with a 2-1 record and lost the season opener to Farmington in 5. Rylee McClintock finished with 21 kills, Kristin Anderson with ten kills, and Tori Rubel with 8. Notre Dame is more than capable of making the tournament’s finals but will need to continue with a balanced attack to do so.
Northwest- Northwest will come in with a 2-0 record and is feeding two outsides in Lizzy Vermillon and Haley Yount. These two currently provide 75% of the offense, and you can see why once you get to watch them play.
Pool C top 2
Farmington The black and gold will come in undefeated, being lead by a trio of juniors. With Jade Roth dominating the middle with her wingspan, she is way bigger than her 6’0 frame, making it hard for an attacker to get by her. Shoot the ball out to team-leading kill master Jelena Gray or Grace Duncan, and the Knights will make a lot of noise this year.
Seckman Jaguars will be another large school in this tournament that will make noise once they get going. With Tayler Neal slamming balls on the outside, lefty Riley Howdeshell with that line shot, and middle Erin Treis shutting down the opponents, I think Seckman could be a front runner for the finals.
Pool D top 2
Cape Central Ella Vogel Ella Vogel 6'1" | MB Central | 2022 State MO and Ava Nelson get the Tigers off and running. With Ella Vogel Ella Vogel 6'1" | MB Central | 2022 State MO ’s athleticism and hard-hitting playing outside and middle, she is one hard player to stop. Toss in Ava Nelson, Madison Phelps, Demi Drum, and the Tigers are more well-rounded than previous years.
Ellington The other three teams in this pool, are pretty evenly matched, so I’ll go with the Whippets to pull out the second spot. With some of the same kids playing volleyball that won a state basketball championship last year, this team has plenty of talent. With Laura Gore, Gretchen Hackworth, Abbi Harper, and Kaylee King, the Whippets have potential upsets. They are coming in 4-1 with only a 1-3 defeat to Lesterville.
Pool E top 2
Dexter Having lost a ton of talent last year, the Bearcats have reloaded for a new season. Coming in with a 4-1 record and being lead by kill leader Carly Long, Rachel Cobb, Dulcie Pullen, Avery Neely, and freshman Kate Nichols the team has what it takes to pull off a run into the semifinals. The only loss was a 2-3 defeat by Class 5 Jackson.
Jefferson The Bluejays have some talented kids making noise in the club season, and if the pieces fit should make noise this high school season. With seven juniors getting all the playing time, this team will be on the hunt for the next two years. Lead by Emma Breier, Kirstyn Loyd Kirstyn Loyd 5'11" | OH Jefferson | 2023 State MO , digging machine Ava Roth Ava Roth 5'6" | DS/L Jefferson R-7 | 2023 State MO , Avery Richardson, and Riley Duvall look for Jefferson to put up a fight to make the semifinals.
Pool F top 2
Valle Catholic Warriors come into the tourney off a second-place finish in the state last year for Class 2. They moved up to Class 3, and the Warriors are still a contender. With big middle blockers, Ella Bertram Ella Bertram 5'11" | MB Valle Catholic | 2022 State MO and Hailey Weibrecht returning, the middle is solid for Valle. Feeding those middles will be all-state Sam Loida Sam Loida 5'5" | S Valle Catholic | 2022 State MO and her 981 assists. Look for the Warriors to win the pool F and go into the playoffs undefeated.
Lesterville Class 1 runner-up is back and reloaded for another season. Coming in with a 3-0 record and solid play from the trio of juniors, the Bearcats could be in for another banner year. They are led by two-time all-state outside hitter Reese Gray Reese Gray 5'8" | OH Lesterville | 2023 State MO , outside Piper Fitzgerald, and all-state setter Grace Hicks Grace Hicks 5'5" | S Lesterville | 2023 State MO . Look for the Bearcats to make some noise, but can they complete the large schools in this tournament?
Red Division Gold bracket
Play in games
Rock Bridge over Jefferson 2-0
Northwest over Cape Central 2-1
Lesterville over Ellington 2-0
Dexter over Seckman 2-1
Quarterfinals
Rock Bridge over Farmington 2-1
Valle Catholic over Northwest 2-0
Notre Dame over Lesterville 2-0
Ste. Gen over Dexter 2-1
Semifinals
Rock Bridge over Valle 2-1
Notre Dame over Ste. Gen 2-1
Finals
Rock Bridge over Notre Dame 2-1
The Bruins have many weapons and are a big blocking team. I see the Bulldogs giving them some fight but not enough to knock off Ella Swindle Ella Swindle 6'2" | S Rock Bridge | 2023 State #6 Nation MO , Lily Dudley Lily Dudley 5'10" | OH Rock Bridge | 2023 State #192 Nation MO , and company.