Semoball

Advance volleyball falls to Dexter in straight sets in SCAA Conference tournament semifinals

Dexter's Megan Trout, left, and Ashlynn Wyman, right, both go for a dig against Woodland in the Stoddard County Activities Association quarterfinals Thursday in Puxico.
Daily American Republic/Scott Borkgren

PUXICO, Mo. -- Somebody was going to get upset in the semifinals, both mentally and physically.

The Dexter volleyball team hadn't lost since Labor Day, then got swept by Advance and Bernie while splitting with Bloomfield in pool play. Coach Carmen Morgan said she saw fear in her players' eyes for the first time. Consequently, the prohibitive favorites going into the Stoddard County Activities Association (SCAA) Conference Tournament but ended up as the No. 4 seed in the single-elimination bracket.

Advance took the top seed after sweeping Dexter, Bernie and Bloomfield in pool play, making them the paper favorites to win the tournament.

After Advance beat Richland (Essex) 25-7, 25-11 and Dexter beat Woodland 25-19, 25-23, an upset in the semifinals became inevitable.

The Bearcats got revenge for Monday and beat Advance 25-22, 25-15.

"Woodland is not an easy team, so we had to go after them. Advance has a good club. Nothing was easy tonight. I was very proud of the girls. That is what we came in here to do, and they accomplished it," Morgan said.

The Bearcats will face No. 2 Bernie, which beat Bell City 25-12, 25-15 and then Bloomfield 25-16, 25-23, in the championship match at 8 p.m. Friday. Advance will play No. 3 Bloomfield in the third-place game at 6 p.m.

"We got back in the gym (after Monday), and we worked a little bit harder, got things straightened out and we played ball," Morgan said. "That's what we should have done Monday, but that's OK. Our goal was to come out and take it back, and we did."

The Bearcats accomplished that goal despite their top hitter Krysten Garrison feeling ill.

"The girl is tough. She didn't even act like I can't play. Believe me, I thought she was going to pass out one time when she came out of the game," Morgan said.

Garrison still led the team in hitting with 11 kills against Advance and 16 against Woodland but faded late in Game 2. Her final kill of the night put Dexter ahead 21-14.

When the Bearcats were scoring their final few points, the reigning Class 3 District 1 Player of the Year was on the sidelines leaning over a trash can. With a teammate under the weather, Morgan said the rest of the Bearcats stepped up, perhaps none moreso than Maycie Martin.

"Maycie Martin did exactly what we were hoping she would do," Morgan said. "She came through. She hit well. Addie Kruse hit well. Our little freshman, Blair (Rodgers), she came along toward the end, and she hit. And our big hitter Krysten, she is as sick as she can be."

Martin had blocks to set up match point in both games against Advance. She led Dexter with five blocks on the night, including three in the semifinals. At one point in Game 2 after Garrison hit several in the net and had another attack blocked, she headed to the bench, and the sets flowed Martin's way.

Earlier in Game 1 against Advance with Dexter ahead 21-19, Dexter libero Ashlynn Wyman had a reflex dig with one hand that sent the ball sideways toward the Dexter bench. Martin swung with one arm and managed a second reflex dig that sent the ball to Garrison in the middle of the court, who pushed it back over the net.

Kruse was second in kills for Dexter (19-6-2) on the night with 10 and hit the winner in both matches.

"For some reason, we don't think we can be that team that everyone wants to beat," Advance coach Erin Hoffman said. "For some reason, we don't have that mentality yet. When it came to tonight, we just weren't as smooth as we were earlier."

Advance (23-6-2) focused on being aggressive against Dexter after coming a long way from the beginning of the season to take the top seed in the bracket, as well as early leads in both sets.

"We were a mental mess at the beginning of the season. We have pretty much gotten rid of all mental issues, but then we found this new one, so hopefully we can get rid of that," Hoffman said. "I think (Dexter is) used to smaller schools kind of laying down for them, and this tournament, the smaller schools stepped up. A lot of us made them have to play their best game."

In the first set, Dexter was able to tie it up at 9-all and then went on a six-point run with Martin serving.

The Hornets, though, immediately rallied with their own six-point run that included kills from Brylee Morse and Alanis Below. Advance wasn't able to take the lead, though. It tied it up a second time at 22-22, but then Kruse got a kill, Martin followed with a block, and then Kruse got another kill after an Advance free ball for match point.

The Hornets took a 3-0 lead in the second set and were up by as many as five in the early going before the Bearcats made their comeback.

Dexter tied it up for the first time at 11, a second time at 12 and a third time at 13 before it took the lead for good. The Bearcats closed out the match with a 12-2 run. Garrison had four kills in the run. Her final one of the night put Dexter ahead 21-14.

Rodgers, Martin and Kruse each scored to polish off the night.

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