First Weekend of Volleyball: Tournament Champions Salute

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first weekend of volleyball showcased remarkable talent as teams competed in various tournaments across the state. Defending Class 1 champions, the Winona Wildcats, began the season perfectly, boasting a 7-0 record and dominating their sets. Meanwhile, the&nbsp;new coach-led St. Pius X Lancers made a statement in the Pony Express Pool 4, finishing strong at 4-0. Other notable performances included Rock Port's youthful squad winning Pool 1 and Parkway Central securing the Visitation Tournament title. As these teams strive for excellence, the weekend set the tone for an exciting volleyball season ahead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Winona – Monett Tournament</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defending Class 1 champions have started the season as they ended last year. Currently, the Wildcats are 7-0 and 15-0 in sets, led by [player_tooltip player_id='232323' first='Lexi' last='Lindsey'], [player_tooltip player_id='827737' first='Sadie' last='Kile'], and [player_tooltip player_id='828367' first='Taylor' last='Williams']. Seneca, Sarcoxie, Crane, Monett, and&nbsp;Thayer have all been sweeps. Winona has knocked off Class 2-ranked Miller twice in pool play and in the finals by the scores of 25-18, 25-18.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>St. Pius X – Pony Express Pool 4</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>New coach, exact expectations, and results for the Lancers. The Lancers travel to St. Joseph for the inaugural Pony Express Volleyball State Preview Classic and come out with a 4-0 record. Starting with a 25-19, 16-25, 25-17 win over Liberty North, then knocking off Webb City 25-17, 25-19, Savannah 25-19, 25-19, and concluding with a 25-15, 25-10 thrashing of Notre Dame de Sion. [player_tooltip player_id='801940' first='Harper' last='Gass'], [player_tooltip player_id='808489' first='Caitlyn' last='Mcnail'], and [player_tooltip player_id='809181' first='Sadie' last='Archer'] played well defensively, combining for 49 digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Rock Port – Pony Express Pool 1</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class 1 Rock Port is a talented, youthful team that won Pool 1 with wins over West Platte (2-1), Cameron (2-0), and Plattsburg (2-1), and finished with a 1-2 loss to Mid-Buchanan. [player_tooltip player_id='831666' first='Ella' last='Meyerkorth'] hit .444 with five kills in the win over West Platte, and Braylyn Wood finished with eight in the win over Plattsburg. Rock Port currently has a 6-1 record.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bishop LeBlond – Pony Express Pool 2</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pool 2 winner LeBlond finished pool play with a 3-1 record, sweeping past Mid-Buchanan&nbsp;and then taking 2-1 wins over the tough Adrian and Odessa teams. The Eagles then would lose a tough battle with Class 4 Webb City, 25-22, 15-25, 22-25. [player_tooltip player_id='837347' first='Rilyn' last='Conard'] and [player_tooltip player_id='831628' first='Ella' last='Frazee'] lead the attack in the tournament with 63 kills.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Oak Grove – Pony Express Pool 3</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Panthers have started hot, going 4-0 with sweeps over Maryville and St. Joseph Central. Oak Grove would then squeeze out a 25-23, 20-25, 26-24 over Notre Dame de Sion and 25-23, 19-25, 25-20 over Liberty North. Big plays from [player_tooltip player_id='556998' first='Paisley' last='Hudson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='557372' first='Piper' last='Hudson'] have Oak Grove off to a 5-0 start.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Duchesne – Brace for Impact B Division</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Without dropping a set in the B Division, the Pioneers won the title with wins over Farmington, Ritenour, Cardinal Ritter, Lift for Life, and Centralia, IL.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hillsboro – Hillsboro tournament</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hillsboro won its home tournament, going 3-0-2 with splits against Cape Central and Ste. Genevieve then swept Warrenton. In the semifinals, the Hawks slipped by the Dragons of Desoto 23-25, 25-13, 25-20. [player_tooltip player_id='841834' first='Ava' last='Campbell'] recorded 15 assists in the win and moved her team into the title bout with Ste. Genevieve. With a 25-17, 26-24 victory over Ste. Gen [player_tooltip player_id='816455' first='Madison' last='Czapla'] finished with a team-high five kills and three blocks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Parkway Central – Viz Tournament</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='485600' first='Madelyn' last='Schaefer'] led her Colts to the title of the Visitation Tournament with 60 kills to push Central's record to 5-1 on the season. With wins over Westminster, Burroughs, and&nbsp;Howell Central in pool play and the semifinals, the Colts are&nbsp;in the championship. In the championship win over Kirkwood, Madelyn had 13 kills to secure the 25-13, 29-27 title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pacific – Windsor Tournament</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pacific made a repeat winner of the Windsor Tournament, sweeping Alton, IL, and Orchard Farm, and then splitting with Cape Notre Dame in pool play. A semifinal win over Jefferson 25-19, 25-17, pushed Pacific back into the title match against the home team, Windsor Owls. Pacific would get the repeat title with a 25-20, 25-22 win over the Owls.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->