Volleyball

SIKESTON — With the summer just beginning and local sports teams a ways away from starting their respective seasons, comes a carousel of coaching changes. A new voice and vision are used to help struggling programs rise to the top and with that, here is the list of coaching changes for our local teams:...

The Notre Dame boys volleyball team saw its season come to an end after a straight-set loss — 25-18, 25-8 — to the top-ranked team in the state during Saturday’s Class 3 state quarterfinals at Francis Howell Central High School in St. Charles, Missouri. Alex Burger had five assists to pace Notre Dame, which wrapped up its season with a record of 14-14-2...

Bryce Hahs belted a triple and drove in two runs as the fourth-seeded Oak Ridge baseball team dealt a crushing upset to top-seeded Valley (Caledonia) in its 8-5 semifinal victory Tuesday in the Class 1 District 3 Tournament in Annapolis, Missouri. Jordan Barker went the distance on the mound to pick up the win for the BlueJays (7-16). He allowed five earned runs and recorded 14 strikeouts and one walk...

Third-seeded Bell City baseball avoided the upset and eked out a 3-2 win over No. 6 Delta in the quarterfinals of the Class 1 District 2 Tournament at Oran High School. Andrew Hicks pitched six innings to be credited with the win for Bell City (8-10). He gave up two earned runs on two hits and had seven strikeouts and one walk...

Notre Dame boys volleyball went on the road and picked up a convincing sweep, 25-16 and 25-13, of Metro-East Lutheran on Thursday night in Edwardsville, Illinois. Alex Dow and A.J. Stroup each had four kills to lead the Bulldogs in the victory. Alex Burger recorded 12 assists and eight digs for Notre Dame. John Scherer contributed seven digs for the Bulldogs, who will wrap up their regular season during tonight's senior night match at home with Webster Groves...

Derek Kirn belted a two-run home run as the Perryville baseball team clinched the regular-season conference championship with a 7-3 victory over Windsor on the road in Imperial, Missouri, on Tuesday. Trent Unterreiner was the winning pitcher and had a double and two RBIs for the Pirates (12-7, 4-0 JCAA Conference-Large Schools Division). He gave up three earned runs on seven hits and recorded seven strikeouts and two walks...

The third-seeded Kennett Indians struck for three runs in the third inning Saturday and beat seventh-seeded Dexter 5-2 in a consolation semifinal of the SEMO Conference Baseball Tournament at Cape Central High School. The Indians will face Notre Dame in the fifth-place game at 2:15 p.m. Monday. Dexter (3-12) will meet New Madrid County Central for seventh place at noon Monday. Both games will be played at Capaha Park in Cape Girardeau...

Blake Bollinger blasted a home run and batted in four runs as Meadow Heights delivered Herculaneum its first loss of the season, 8-1, in an opening-round quarterfinal of the Saxony Lutheran Showdown. Lane Baremore went the distance on the mound to get the win for Meadow Heights (5-5). He gave up one unearned run and recorded nine strikeouts and three walks...

The Notre Dame boys volleyball team went to work this week in practice, aiming to correct issues that had plagued them last week and throughout the season. The early results were positive as the Bulldogs cruised to a two-set home win over Bayless, 25-13, 25-10, on Wednesday...

Jackson's Case Englehart and Tanner Walton each carded a three-over-par 75 to share the medalist honors and help lead the Indians to the championship of the Farmington Invitational at the Crown Pointe Golf Club. Jaden Hightower finished three strokes behind his teammates with a 78 and Carsen Silliman shot an 80 as the four Indians all claimed individual spots in the top 10 for Jackson, which placed 43 strokes ahead of Kennett in second place...

Ben Jansen hit a double and batted in three runs to lead Notre Dame baseball to an 11-6 victory over Lutheran (St. Charles County) in a quarterfinal of the Borgia/Union Tournament on Saturday. Reid James was the winning pitcher and also doubled and had three RBIs for Notre Dame. He threw six innings and gave up three runs (two earned) on seven hits. He recorded nine strikeouts and two walks...

The brackets are set for the Bootheel Conference seventh and eighth grade volleyball tournaments. Both tournaments take place Mar. 19-22 at Kennett Middle School Gymnasium. Caruthersville is the No. 1 seed in both tournaments. The seventh grade bracket is available at this link: 7th Grade Bracket...

The Kennett Athletic Leadership Council will host a local charity drive at an alumni volleyball event Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. at Kennett High School. Those interested in participating can register by contacting Kennett athletic director Jim Vaughan by e-mail at jvaughan@kennett.k12.mo.us or calling (573) 776-8909...

Find out which student-athletes in the Southeast Missourian coverage area signed with college programs by National Signing Day

Another year, another group of superb performances by area student-athletes, the most outstanding of which are being recognized. On Wednesday, 55 individuals were announced as fall sport finalists for the 2018 Semoball Awards. The selections were presented during a live radio show on SEMO ESPN Radio...

After-graduation plans: Attending a four-year college and planning to major in elementary education while playing volleyball and track and field Club team: Perryville Top Guns Twitter handle: @j_verseman27 Favorite place to play: SVHS gym Favorite warmup song: "No Hands (clean version)" by Waka Flocka feat. Roscoe Dash and Wale...

Olivia Hallet's main objective has never wavered. Ever since she first picked up a volleyball, years before her varsity days at Jackson High School, Hallet had her sights set on playing at the college level, a dream that never seemed to truly materialize until Dave Mirly took over the Indians' program prior to her senior season...

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- It was a match in which every action resulted in an opposite reaction. For every push, there was a pull. With a trophy on the line, it all came down to the final hit, as third-seeded Farmington recovered from a second-set collapse and then scratched and clawed its way to a 2-1 win over top-seeded Jackson -- 25-19, 14-25 and 30-28 -- to capture the Class 4 District 1 championship on Wednesday night at Farmington High School...

Brittany Showmaker nailed five kills to lead the third-seeded Oak Ridge volleyball team to an easy victory over sixth-seeded St. Paul Lutheran (Farmington) -- 25-13 and 25-6 -- in Tuesday's opening round of the Class 1 District 4 Tournament at Crystal City High School in Crystal City, Missouri...

KENNETT, Mo. -- This group of Dexter volleyball seniors has been looking forward to this day for years. Now it's here, and it'll be awhile before those smiles leave their faces. Pushed at times, Dexter stayed in control from start to finish and beat Perryville 25-16, 25-21 on Tuesday at Kennett High School to repeat as Class 3 District 1 champions...

PUXICO, Mo. -- Attempting to win a fourth straight Class 2 District 2 title felt like just another regular season road trip for the Bloomfield volleyball team. "Something felt weird today," Bloomfield senior Kaley Roper said. "Like, it don't feel like the district championship. We don't know, it just did not feel like it."...

BERNIE, Mo. -- This is the Advance volleyball team satisfying its hunger. And on Tuesday night, Bernie was on the menu. The top-seeded Hornets got off to a fast start, snuffed out any Mules comeback hopes and swept the second-seeded hosts 25-19 and 25-14 in the Class 1 District 2 final at Bernie High School to claim a second consecutive district championship...

FARMINGTON, Mo. – After earning a hard-fought, quarterfinal victory, the Sikeston volleyball team watched their season come to an end Monday during a Class 4, District 1 tournament semifinal in Farmington, Mo. Top-seeded Jackson swept No. 4 Sikeston 25-11, 25-15 in the first semifinal of the night...

OAK RIDGE, Mo. -- For Whitney McFall, being both a sister and a coach is a balancing act. She's always itching to talk volleyball with her younger twin sisters, Oak Ridge juniors Sophie and Mollie Thompson. But McFall, who is in her 14th year coaching the Bluejays, made an agreement with them back in junior high to not discuss the sport once they leave the court...

The curse of the Class 4 District 1 volleyball semifinal beween the Nos. 2 and 3 seeds remained intact, as third-seeded host Farmington squeezed by second-seeded Poplar Bluff in three sets (20-25, 25-19, 25-23) on Monday to reach Wednesday's district championship match against top-seeded Jackson...

Sophomore Kyla Beel recorded seven kills, five digs and four aces as the Leopold volleyball team wrapped up its regular season with a comfortable 25-13, 25-15 win over Puxico at home on Senior Night. Patience VanderMierden tallied six kills, six assists, six aces and four digs for Leopold (14-15-3). Senior Shelby Schreckenberg contributed six digs and three aces for the Wildcats and Beth Lincoln chipped in two kills and two digs...

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Elimination night at the 2017 SEMO Conference Volleyball Tournament started out perfect for the Sikeston Bulldogs. They rolled to a play-in victory over Charleston in two sets, then took down the South Division’s No. 1 seed in the quarterfinals the same way...

When Dave Mirly met with his players this summer ahead of his first season as volleyball coach at Jackson, he told them that they could win a championship in 2017. The question was would they? On Thursday night, could turned to did, as the Indians staged dramatic rallies in each of the final two sets to stave off defeat and topple Notre Dame in three games -- 16-25, 25-20 and 27-25 -- to lift the SEMO Conference Tournament championship trophy at the Cape SportsPlex...

The Notre Dame and Oran volleyball teams each came out on top of their respective divisions' pool play in Tuesday's round-robin action of the SEMO Conference Tournament. Notre Dame posted a 7-1 record to clinch the top seed in the North Division, which was played at the Cape SportsPlex. ...

DEXTER, Mo. -- In a potential preview of the Class 3 District 1 volleyball championship, the winning team was possibly the team that played worse. Dexter, the top seed and defending district champion, beat Notre Dame 25-17, 21-25, 25-14 on Monday at the Bearcat Events Center...

The second-seeded Chaffee softball team wasted no time in disposing of third-seeded Neelyville 8-0 on Wednesday to book its spot in the Class 1 District 1 championship at Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Bailey Wiseman hit a double to pace the Red Devils, who led 3-0 after the first three innings. Carlie Milz drove in three runs, and Sydney Walker drove in two runs for the Red Devils, who posted four runs in the fourth frame and added an insurance run in the sixth...

Notre Dame senior Grace Powderly was victorious in her singles match at Tuesday's Class 1 sectional at Notre Dame Regional High School, advancing to the state tournament. Powderly defeated Sina Gutermann of St. Pius X 6-1, 6-1 to return to the state tournament, which will be held Oct. 13-14 in at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield, Missouri...

LEOPOLD, Mo. -- It was like walking into a tuft of cotton candy. On Monday evening, the Leopold High School gymnasium was awash in pink as the Wildcats volleyball team hosted Oak Ridge and opened up October -- breast cancer awareness month -- with its own contribution to the cause. On "Think Pink" night it was occasionally confusing to follow two teams with pink jerseys smacking the ball back and forth, but for those participating, there was no confusion about what was really important...

The host Notre Dame cross country teams captured the team championships in both the girls and boys division of the Notre Dame Invitational. Blake Morris was the first runner to cross the finish line with a time of 16 minutes, 25.41 seconds to lead the Bulldogs to victory. On the girls' side, Alaina Baumgart placed first with a time of 20 minutes, 12.53 seconds...

Alex Lovell had her day at the plate. With the bases loaded and the score tied at 8-all in the top of the seventh inning, the Notre Dame softball senior blasted a grand slam to drive in four runs and the Bulldogs held Kelly scoreless in the final inning to come away with a 12-8 victory over the Hawks on the road in Benton, Missouri...

With each serve the gym got louder, with each dig the emotion rose and with each swing the result seemed more and more inevitable. In a sport in which momentum is the electrical undercurrent, the Saxony Lutheran volleyball team broke open what had previously been a close contest with the mother of momentum swings, taking 18 of 19 straight points in a decisive third set to edge Notre Dame 2-1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-13) on Thursday night at Saxony Lutheran High School...

We're no longer teenagers! The Semoball Podcast is back for Episode 20 as we're joined by Southeast Missouri State football wide receiver Tyler McLemore and DAR sports editor Brian Rosener.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- For Jackson volleyball coach Dave Mirly, hugs were the theme of his homecoming as Perryville welcomed the Indians to town Tuesday. In a pregame meeting between coaches, captains and officials, the first-year headman embraced two of his former players. After leading the Pirates program for 10 years, Mirly was now a visitor at Perryville High School after taking over at Jackson in the offseason...

Tye Huff tossed a no-hitter and Alex Hicks provided all the offense as the Greenville baseball team handed East Carter a 1-0 loss in an Ozark Foothills Conference game on Tuesday. Huff needed 79 pitches to mow down the Redbirds. He struck out six and walked one while throwing 57 pitches for strikes in the win for Greenville (3-9, 1-3 OFC)...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- Consistency hasn't always been the strong suit of St. Vincent volleyball this season. On Monday, however, the Indians were consistently in control. St. Vincent trailed for only two points all night and swept past Woodland, 25-16 and 25-18, snapping a three-game win streak for the Cardinals at St. Vincent High School in Perryville, Missouri...

Hannah Landewe nailed seven kills as the Notre Dame volleyball team avoided a scare from Leopold in the second set to get the 25-17, 25-23 win at home. Shelby Bauwens hammered six kills for the Bulldogs (14-6-3) and Brooke Blankenship provided 17 assists. Megan Heisserer tallied 14 digs to pace Notre Dame defensively...

Kelly Ivy threw a complete-game shutout, allowing just one hit in guiding the Kelly softball team to a 9-0 win over Perryville on Wednesday in Benton, Missouri. Ivy walked one batter and didn't record a strikeout. She helped herself at the plate with an RBI...

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- It took an unlikely comeback to erase 14 years of frustration for the Poplar Bluff volleyball team Monday night. The Mules survived five set points in overcoming a 23-15 deficit to take the opening game, then beat defending district champion Farmington for the first time in 21 matches, 26-24, 25-14 at the Senior High Gym...

The Notre Dame softball team posted three consecutive wins on Saturday and downed Parkway South 10-0 in five innings to win the championship of the Jackson Invitational Tournament at the Shawnee Park Sports Complex. Aba Estes hit a triple and drove in two runs to lead the Bulldogs in their championship victory over the Patriots while Alex Lovell added a double and two RBIs...

The Advance volleyball team captured its fifth win in a row, defeating Saxony Lutheran 25-23, 24-26, 25-18 on Thursday at Saxony Lutheran High School. Allie Sprink recorded a double-double to lead the way for the Crusaders, finishing with 15 assists and 15 digs to go along with seven kills. Lexie Barnes also had a double-double for Saxony (12-6), recording 13 kills, 10 assists and eight digs, while Laurel Mueller chipped in 17 digs and five kills...

The Kelly softball team pounded out 21 hits to secure a 19-3 win over Jefferson in four innings Wednesday in Benton, Missouri. Alyssa Moore finished 3-for-3 with four RBIs to lead the Hawks' offense. The game was a rematch of last year's Class 2 District 3 championship game, which the Blue Jays won 2-0...

For two volleyball programs trying to build a foundation and create consistency, communication was at the heart of everything -- both good and bad -- for Cape Girardeau Central and Scott City on Wednesday night. The host Rams bounced back from a tough opening set to take Game 2, but basic errors down the stretch allowed the Tigers to overcome a sluggish start to the decisive third set and grab a three-game victory -- 25-14, 19-25, 25-18 -- in a SEMO Conference matchup at Scott City High School...

The Notre Dame volleyball team overcame a 20-17 deficit in both games to eke out a 25-23, 25-23 conference victory over Poplar Bluff on Tuesday in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Alexa Clark's serve clipped the net and fell in to break a 23-all tie in the first game, while her serve helped the Bulldogs rally in the second game...

Lainey Broussard dished out a whopping 42 assists and had four digs as the Jackson volleyball team had to dig deep but eventually found a way to pull out a three-set squeaker over Park Hills Central -- 25-18, 25-27, 25-23 -- on Monday in Park Hills, Missouri...