Volleyball

Two more Jackson athletes signed national letters of intent to continue their athletic careers. Senior volleyball player Mia Trankler and golfer Ella Overstreet both officially committed to their respective schools on Monday. Trankler signed with John A. Logan College, a school her coach Dave Mirly pointed her to early in her volleyball career...

Five high school athletes from Cape Central, Jackson and Notre Dame signed national letters of intent on Wednesday to play their respective sports at the next level. Notre Dame's Lexi Rubel — who averaged 16.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game last season — made her commitment to Tennessee Martin official, signing her letter of intent to play basketball for the Skyhawks...

With the last serve of the 2021 MSHSAA Volleyball State Finals having been boomed over the net over the weekend at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau, the 2022 volleyball season has unofficially begun, as teams look forward to the future.

As the five starting seniors for Gideon High School volleyball walked off the court on Saturday at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau following the Bulldogs’ loss to Miller in the MSHSAA Class 1 State Final, it marked the end of an era in Bootheel volleyball for one of the most prestigious programs, not just in the area, but in the entire state. However, that moment also marked the start of an opportunity for the remainder of the programs throughout the region, and no program is in a better position to seize that moment than Clarkton.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – Those words were spoken by Gideon High School volleyball senior Hope Raymond on Saturday just moments following the Bulldogs’ three-set loss to Miller in the MSHSAA Class 1 State Final at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau.

Eight Jackson volleyball players earned Class 5 District 1 all-district honors. Senior Mia Trankler, junior Kamryn Link and freshman Katy St. John were each named to the all-district first team. Sophomore Holland Guilliams was the lone Indian named to the second team. Senior Alexa DeLuca and sophomores Ella Domian, Christa Vandeven and Nadia Wasilewski all received honorable mentions...

Several local volleyball players received SEMO Conference honors, including Cape Central senior Ella Vogel and Kennett senior Macy New who were named North and South Division players of the year. Vogel — who was also named the North division's hitter of the year — and senior Ava Nelson made the all-conference first team for the Tigers...

CAPE GIRARDEAU – The most successful Gideon High School volleyball season in 17 years came to a close on Saturday, as Miller was too big – literally – and too good for the Bulldogs to overcome in the MSHSAA Class 1 State Final at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – Gideon High School volleyball coach Kristen Ashabranner has coached her daughter, Bulldog junior Kaylee Ashabranner, since she first picked up a volleyball, including the past three at the high school level. However, the elder Ashabranner made it perfectly clear, as her team competed this weekend at the MSHSAA Class 1 State Finals, that her affection spreads to all the players that wear black and yellow.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – When a volleyball program has won 32 of its 34 matches in a season, 63 of its last 68, and its senior class has won 87 percent (118-17) of its matches during its four-year career, one can assume that such a team often wins on talent alone and just showing up.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – No matter the sport and no matter the level of competition, when an athlete fills a key role on a team AND their parent is the coach, eyes can roll. However, watch the Gideon High School volleyball team play and it becomes obvious to everyone that Bulldog junior hitter Kaylee Ashabranner is on the court because of her ability, not her last name.

College Soccer SIUE 3, SEMO 0 College Volleyball SEMO 3, Murray State 1 High school football Jackson 59, Mehlville 7 Seckman 35, Poplar Bluff 34 Kennett 45, Dexter 9 New Madrid County Central 44, Kelly 3 Scott City 49, St. Vincent 14 Hayti 52, Caruthersville 13...

CAPE GIRARDEAU - The Gideon High School volleyball team held its final practice session on Thursday at the Southeast Missouri State Student Recreation Center before competing in the MSHSAA Class 1 State Finals on Friday. The Bulldogs (31-1-1) will face South Iron (26-8-1) at 6 p.m. Friday at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau in one semifinal, while Miller (32-3-1) and Santa Fe (25-0) play in the other semifinal...

A figurative circus has come to the town of Gideon this week and Bulldog volleyball coach Kristen Ashabranner has done her best to serve as the ringmaster and keep every one of her athletes focused on what they need to be zeroing in on.

The Woodland Cardinals have five players named to the Class 2 District 3 all-district volleyball team. Addie Johnson, Ally Whitener and Chloe Goodwin all earned first-team honors for the Cardinals, and Hailey Brotherton and Riley Massa received second-team honors...

It defies logic as to just how tiny Gideon High School has become an MSHSAA volleyball power. Yet it has.

GIDEON — The last time the Gideon volleyball team advanced to the final four current coach Kristen Ashabranner was pregnant with her daughter, Kaylee. The coach fondly remembers 2004 when the Bulldogs finished second to Lockwood in the state tournament...

Only a handful of Gideon High School volleyball players were even alive when the Bulldogs made their last trek to the MSHSAA Final Four in 2004. The team has the opportunity to make that historic journey once again today, as Gideon hosts three-time defending state champion Advance in the Class 1 Quarterfinal at 3 p.m., and the Bulldog fans have “Faith” and “Hope” that their favorite team can end the Hornets’ reign of supremacy.

PIEDMONT - There are 10 volleyball district championship banners hanging in the Clearwater gym. The Tigers are about to add their first since 2002. Clearwater lost to Jefferson 25-17, 25-17, 25-9 in the MSHSAA Class 2 District 2 quarterfinals Saturday, marking the end of the program's most successful postseason in nearly 20 years...

PERRYVILLE — On the rare occasion Perryville pitcher Alyson Stortz is getting shelled, she can expect a trot to the circle from her catcher. Encouragement typically follows, but so do words of constructive criticism. Kylee Stortz — Alyson’s sophomore sister and fellow All-District talent — has a candid approach...

JACKSON, Mo. — Jackson looked strong in the first set Thursday night, taking Cor Jesu Academy to the wire before falling 25-23. Then the Chargers flipped a switch. The Indians continued to show signs of life but were ultimately swept by the Chargers 25-23, 25-15, 25-19, ending their season in the sectional round for a third straight year...

PORTAGEVILLE — Clearwater coach Lisa Ayers had her team ready for Portageville’s loud crowd. The Tigers practiced with loud music to simulate what they expected Thursday night in the MSHSAA Class 2 sectional playoff. “We couldn’t hear each other so we were definitely used to it, but it was very surreal in person,” said Clearwater senior Jaylin Street, who added her ears were ringing after the match...

CARDWELL – The Southland High School volleyball program had never advanced out of the MSHSAA Class 1 District Tournament in the lifespan of any of the Rebel players (1998), and it realized quickly in its Sectional match Thursday against Bootheel powerhouse Gideon that success becomes much more difficult with each step of the journey.

For Notre Dame, it was a season-ending blow. For Valle Catholic, it was further evidence that it belongs in a higher weight class. Valle Catholic — a former Class 2 power who moved up to Class 3 this season — downed the Bulldogs 25-22, 16-25, 25-21, 25-18 on Thursday night in a state sectional match at Notre Dame...

College volleyball SEMO 3, Austin Peay 2 High school basketball SEMO Prep 99, West Kentucky C & T 82, preseason High school boy’s soccer Rockwood Summit 3, Jackson 0 Cape Central 4, DeSoto 0 State High school softball Perryville vs. Chillicothe – Postponed to 10 a.m. Saturday...

JACKSON, Mo. — The high school volleyball season can be full of ups and downs, something Saxony Lutheran coach Emily Wahlers and the Crusaders experienced first-hand this season. The hopeful Crusaders played one of the most well-rounded teams in the state in Jefferson out of Festus, Mo., ultimately falling to the Blue Jays in Thursday night’s state sectional match at Saxony Lutheran High School...

The Cape Central volleyball team fought valiantly against Farmington on Tuesday in the Class 4 District 1 championship. But it wasn't enough. Farmington had its work cut out, but the Knights would ultimately sweep Central 25-16, 25-22, 25-18 for the district crown at Cape Central High School...

CLARKTON – The Clarkton and Gideon High School volleyball programs sit less than three miles apart and have won a combined 206 matches over the past four seasons. So, one would think that the Reindeer and Bulldogs would have some intensity to the matches when they battle each other. And they do.

Beating a quality opponent twice is tough. Thrice is harder. Class 2 power Woodland found out the hard way on Tuesday when it fell to Saxony Lutheran 25-22, 9-25, 23-25, 26-24 in a district championship match at West County, sending the Crusaders to the state sectional round...

The Eagle Ridge Christian volleyball team has accomplished something very few teams have. The Eagles defeated Blue Ridge Christian of Kansas City, Mo., 25-18, 22-25, 25-19 on Saturday for their sixth straight Missouri Christian Schools Athletic Association (MCSAA) state championship...

IMPERIAL, Mo. — Last weekend Jackson's volleyball team won its third consecutive SEMO Conference title. The Indians kept with the theme Monday night, winning their third straight Class 5 District 1 championship with a 25-18, 25-14, 25-20 victory over Northwest (Cedar Hill) at Seckman High School...

CLARKTON – As it turns out, peanuts and cotton aren’t the only things grown along the Dunklin-New Madrid County lines, hellacious volleyball players are found in abundance, as well, and a whole host of them gathered in the Clarkton High School gymnasium on Monday.

BROSELEY — BROSELEY — After losing a late eight-point lead, failing to convert four set points and falling behind a set in the MSHSAA Class 2 District 2 championship match Monday night, the Clearwater Tigers didn’t fold. Even down to their final point of the season, the Tigers held on...

Top-seeded Notre Dame eased past fifth-seeded Doniphan 25-11, 25-13, 25-12 in a Class 3 District 1 quarterfinal matchup Monday at Dexter High School. Lexi Rubel led the charge for the Bulldogs with 15 kills and Rylee McClintock added 12. Setters Claire Jones and Sarah Brennan combined for 34 assists and Rubel led defensively with 11 digs...

Oak Ridge defeated Principia 25-17, 25-8, 25-15 on Saturday in a Class 1 District 4 quarterfinal held at West County High School in Frankclay, Mo. The Blue Jays got 14 kills, 10 digs and six assists from all-conference senior Paige Glueck. Stat-sheet stuffer Zoe Berry recorded five kills, 13 assists, nine digs, 16 service points and six aces in the win...

Portageville High School volleyball coach Sasha Kellams knows a thing or two about postseason success.

CLARKTON — The Gideon Bulldogs returns to the district finals, punching their ticket and set up a date with Tri-County Conference foe Clarkton in the Class 1, District 2 championship game. The Bulldogs defeated Risco 25-10, 25-16 25-13 in the district semifinals to advance to the championship game...

Jackson and Cape Central's volleyball teams punched tickets Friday to their respective district championship games. The Indians (29-5-3) downed Fox 25-23, 25-13, 25-10  in a Class 5 District semifinal at Seckman High School and will face Northwest (26-5-3) on Monday...

Volleyball comes as second nature for Notre Dame senior Rylee McClintock and her family, especially when it comes to having success at different levels of play. Her mother, April, played the game in high school and had success at the college level. Her father, Shaun, played on a club team at Southeast Missouri State that used to scrimmage against the SEMO women's team. Her older sister, Maddie, holds the Notre Dame record for career assists...

CAPE GIRARDEAU – In the five years that Cindy Cissell has been leading the Perryville High School volleyball program, its common theme has been success. The Pirates have averaged over 16 wins per season during that span, including an MSHSAA Class 3 Sectional championship won in 2019. However, the Pirates have plunged this season to a record of 6-18-2 this fall, which Cissell said has been confounding.

It took four-and-a-half long weeks of waiting for Jackson to have an opportunity to face Notre Dame again on the volleyball court. After dropping a five-set match to the Bulldogs on Sept. 16, the Indians had their number when it counted, beating Notre Dame 25-19, 34-32 for the SEMO Conference championship — the Indians third straight — Tuesday at the Cape Girardeau SportsPlex...

The Clearwater Tigers lost their final regular-season game to perennial power Winona at home on Tuesday in straight sets, 25-11, 25-19, 25-8. Clearwater coach Lisa Ayers got 10 kills from senior Jaylin Street. The Tigers (8-21-3) will await the winner of Puxico/Greenville at 6 p.m. on Friday at the Class 2 District 2 tournament at Twin Rivers High School...

The Advance volleyball team sent out it's only senior a winner. Alandry Below led the Hornets to a 25-20, 25-18, 25-17 victory over St. Vincent on senior night Tuesday at Advance High School. The three-time defending Class 1 state champion Hornets (16-12-2) will begin defense of their championship on Friday in the District 3 tournament on their home court. The No. 2 seed will open against No. 7 Marquand-Zion at 4 p.m. in a first-round matchup...

The Jackson Indians went undefeated on Monday in the pool-play portion of the SEMO Conference Tournament, earning the No. 1 seed in the north division entering bracket play today. Jackson rolled past Poplar Bluff (25-12, 25-14) and Sikeston (25-16, 25-11), but faced some stiff competition from Cape Central (25-21, 25-13) and in the first set against Notre Dame (25-20, 25-14)...

CAPE GIRARDEAU – Things haven’t always gone smoothly this volleyball season for Poplar Bluff. The Mules (8-20-1) have endured two seven-game stretches in which they didn’t win a match. However, Coach Aimie Parkin’s squad looked more than solid on Monday, as they swept Sikeston 2-0 on the opening night of pool play in the SEMO Conference Tournament at the Cape Girardeau SportsPlex.

CAPE GIRARDEAU – Scott City is amid a strong volleyball season having won the most regular-season games (16-8-2) in four seasons, while still having four matches remaining. This could be the most successful season in over a decade after the Rams finished 30-1-1 in 2011. However, of late, Scott City has struggled – relatively speaking.

Meadow Heights won a close one on Monday night to wrap up its regular season, beating Bell City 25-12, 25-19, 21-25, 28-26 on the road. The Panthers, who have won eight in a row heading into district play, got a solid game from senior Kambri Erzfeld (11 kills, 15 digs, two aces) and Ashley Allen (37 assists, 21 digs, one kill)...

CARUTHERSVILLE – The Senath-Hornersville High School volleyball team is culminating a historic season on Tuesday with its final regular-season match.

Saxony Lutheran handed Oran its 19th loss of the season in a sweep of matches on Friday, beating the Eagles,25-4, 25-14, 25-14.

RISCO — Continuing their winning tradition, the Tri-County Conference once again belongs to Gideon as they swept the third-seeded Clarkton Reindeer 25-14, 25-12, 25-5, Friday night to win the Tri-County Tournament. "It feels really good. We have worked hard all season we knew it was going to be tough no matter who was on the other side,” Kaylee Ashabranner said...