Central and Arcadia Valley to play for fifth

By DONN ADAMSON
Daily Journal Sports Editor

PARK HILLS — The Central Lady Rebels had their ‘A’ game going as they claimed their second win in the MAAA Conference Tournament on Wednesday with a score of 25-17, 25-22 over the Potosi Lady Trojans. The win proved out the Lady Rebels seeding in the tourney at No. 6, one spot above Potosi at No. 7. 7.

Setter Tori Boyer was kept busy the entire match as she made 22 assists due to the devastating attacks of Jaycee Haus with 13 kills and Danielle Hughes with eight. Haus also had three stuff blocks to go with her net play.

The Lady Rebels immediately establlished their dominance as Liz Hartupee served her team to 7-0, causing Potosi coach Gary Mims to call time to get his team focused and to hopefully stop Hartupee’s run. The senior answered with an ace serve.

Potosi scored the next four with Melinda Bust at the service line but they could not keep up with the Lady Rebels. With Haus ruling the net, Central scored points on nearly every servers serve until they had established an 18-12 lead.

Potosi called for their second break on Alicia Sebastian’s serve, but she served two more points before the Lady Trojans could get a side-out. An ace serve by Kelsey Hampton and a kill by Ashley Thompson made the score 20-15. Hughes served out the last three points for Central with the last two being ace serves.

The Lady Trojans  were warmed up for game two, and they were able to match point for point with the Lady Rebels for the first part of the game, and even establishing a significant lead during the middle points.

Megan Rolens made a huge block of a spike by Haus, and Bust supplied a backcourt kill to aid the serves of Jennifer Pinson Jordan Harbison. Potosi took a 13-8 lead with Central calling for time.

The Lady Rebels finally put together a string of points on the serve of Hughes that pulled them to within one at 20-19. An ace serve by Boyer and a kill by Briley Merritt gave Central a 22-21 lead. Jacy Moyer made a crosscourt kill to make it game point, and Haus made a tip kill to finish off the match.

Central (15-12-2) will take on Arcadia Valley in the fifth-place match this afternoon at 4 p.m. Potosi will play Ste. Genevieve on Tuesday in districts at De Soto. 

Arcadia Valley 2, Fredericktown 1

The Fredericktown Lady Cats won their first game in the fifth-place semi-finals, but a determined Arcadia Valley Lady Tigers squad wanted to play at least one more match and they earned it with an 18-25, 25-21, 25-22 win over their Large-School adversary.

The Lady Cats, led by senior hitter Lauren Henderson, were able to establish their attack game early in the match with Courtney Tinnin setting most of the kills for Henderson, who had no trouble putting them away.

Fredericktown (15-11-3) established a mini-lead at 12-9 and Arcadia Valley called time to keep the game from slipping away. Both teams had trouble scoring on their own serve with the game going two full rotations before its completion.

Henderson’s four kills in the game was matched by Madison Mason for Arcadia Valley. Henderson, however, capped the game with an ace-serve.

Mason and Henderson renewed their shoot-out in game two and three. Henderson finished the night 13 kills, and Mason led her team with 16.

In game two it was the Lady Tigers who established the early lead, forcing Fredericktown to call for the time-out. Fredericktown came thundering back with Tinnin at the service line to pull to within three at 17-14, and Coach Lamb called for time. The Lady Tigers would keep the lead after several side-outs for a 25-21 win.

The two teams battled to a 15-15 tie in game three, before a pair of aces was served up by Mason. Arcadia Valley increased its lead to three at 22-19 which was enough to outlast several side-outs. Abby St. Clair served an ace to end the game, and giving the Lady Tigers six aces in the game.

Madison Mason led Arcadia Valley with 16 kills and 11 digs, Nichole Bone had 6 kills and 16 digs. St. Clair made four stuff blocks, and Candis Kirby and Allie Yates set 29 assists between them.

To go along with her 13 kills, Hendersn also made 12 digs. Chelsea Mills had 13, and the Lady Cats had 55 digs aas a team. Courtney Tinnin led in assists with 15 and Melia Fall made 10.

Fredericktown will play Doniphan on Monday in district play at Dexter.