Rachel Crader is the editor of semoball.com. She graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism in May of 2009 before spending the summer covering the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

Highlights from Rachel's days in college include having a class down the hall from Chase Daniel and having NCAA wrestling champion Ben Askren hold the door open for her at Brady Commons, Mizzou's student center. She spent time covering Mizzou basketball, softball and baseball while working for the Columbia Missourian and is excited to return home to Southeast Missouri to cover local sports for semoball.com.

Rachel has covered three Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournaments for the Southeast Missourian and semoball.com, and she'll see you courtside again this year.

Class 1: Lesterville-Osceola

Posted Friday, November 6, 2009, at 3:10 PM

I'm back before the start. The teams are in their huddles.

Current Class 1 standings:

Osceola 3-1

Lesterville 3-1

Winona 2-2

Lutheran 0-4

Results:

Osceola swept Lutheran 25-23, 25-18

Lesterville and Winona split: Winona 25-16, Lesterville 25-17.

Lesterville swept Lutheran 25-11, 25-20.

Osceola and Winona split: Winona 25-23, Osceola 26-24.

Tiebreaker rules:

a) Head-to head competition

b) Point differential for games between those two teams only

c) Total point differential

d) Coin flip or random draw (Seriously? Not a one-game playoff or something?)

I haven't had time to study this, but even I can figure out that if Lesterville sweeps they will play for the championship. Please discuss the other scenarios if you wish.

Game one:

1-0 Lesterville.

3-2 Lesterville. Jessica Woodcock back to serve for the Bearcats.

7-2 Lesterville. Osceloa timeout and its coach is not at all please by the Bearcats start.

10-3 Lesterville. The Bearcats just won the longest point of the match on Taylor Cook's kill from the back row.

12-6 Lesterville. Chelsey Holland just said, "No, thanks" to a Osceola tip-attempt. (She stuffed it.)

14-6 Lesterville. Osceola uses its second and final timeout of the game.

15-6 Lesterville. Stephanie Hill just killed an overpass. Wasn't all that pretty, but it found the floor.

Since I've been going about it all day, I should mention that Taylor Cook has been in the back row for a lot of this, which is impressive. She has just rotated to the front, though. Bad news for Osceola fans around the world.

16-10 Lesterville. Osceola on a run thanks to a few Lesterville errors.

17-11 Lesterville. After a big kill by Osceola's Imani Hairston, the Bearcats get a sideout.

19-12 Lesterville. Cook off the block and out of bounds for a kill.

22-12 Lesterville. Cook with the kill of an overpass. Student section cheers, "You can't stop her."

22-13 Lesterville. Hairston with another big swing for Osceola. If she gets more attempts, the dynamics of the match will change.

24-14 Lesterville. RayVen Nichols to serve.

25-14 Lesterville. A Holland stuff caps off a very impressive and important win for the Bearcats. The can finish with two losses at most, which would be good for a three-way tie. Anyone want to do the tiebreaker math?

Game two:

Tiebreaker rules:

a) Head-to head competition

b) Point differential for games between those two teams only

c) Total point differential

d) Coin flip or random draw (Seriously? Not a one-game playoff or something?)

3-1 Osceola: Ace for the Osceola libero.

4-1 Osceola: Cook gets blocked. Haven't seen that much today.

4-2 Osceola: Cook follows up with a kill to give her team the point and the serve.

6-4 Osceola. Back-and-forth right now.

6-5 Osceola. Missed serve for Osceola.

7-5 Osceola. Kill out of the middle of Osceloa with Holland on the bench.

8-7 Lesterville. Osceola calls a timeout after the Bearcats take their first lead of the game.

11-7 Lesterville. Nichols serving again.

12-11 Lesterville. The Bearcats were forced to give a freeball in the last rally and it cost them.

14-11 Lesterville. Hitting error for Osceola on last point.

16-14 Lesterville. Tip works for Osceola.

17-14 Lesterville. Cook with the kill. She's been pretty quiet in this game.

18-14 Lesterville. Osceola timeout. The Bearcats are seven points away from the state championship game.

From the comments: "Lesterville is in the championship game. They needed only 15 points this set to clinch the tiebreakers with Osceola.

Osceola & Winona are still too close to call if Winona wins both & Osceola wins this set."

Thanks.

19-14 Lesterville. Osceola Hairston sends a spike out the pack of the court.

20-15 Lesterville. After a sideout, Osceola misses a serve.

21-18 Lesterville. Holland jumped a bit to soon for a block and couldn't recover.

22-18 Lesterville. On the very next point, Holland got a kill.

22-20 Lesterville. Timeout Bearcats. The Winona-Lutheran game is over, but I don't know the scores yet. The Winona players are watching this game now with much interest.

22-21 Lesterville. Not sure who it was, but the Bearcats dug a pretty nice hit, but couldn't control it.

24-21 Lesterville. Two quick points.

25-21 Lesterville. And an ace to finish it.

Who will they play in the final? Announcement coming on the PA system.

Winona it is!

Winona and Lesterville will play for the championship.

Comments

View 24 comments

Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Please note that those who post comments on this website may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.

I have seen Taylor Cook play many times this season. What an amazing athlete she is, I am not surprised at all by how well she is playing and leading her team today.

-- Posted by vbfan on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 2:09 PM
The tiebreaking possibilities are too long to explain on an iPhone. But the margin between Winona and Osceola is going to be close if Osceola splits Lesterville. It is too close to call.

-- Posted by drawmules on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 2:15 PM
Go RayVen

-- Posted by ThaVILLE on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 2:17 PM
I suggest Lesterville just get it done and we won't have to worry about the three way tie! GO BEARCATS!!!

-- Posted by jckk4 on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 2:19 PM
When does winona and luthern play if luthern wins one lesterville is in

-- Posted by ThaVILLE on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 2:21 PM
Good point!

-- Posted by jckk4 on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 2:22 PM
I really wouldn't expect Lutheran to pull out a win over Winona, though. Looking back at the scoers, Lutheran has been beaten pretty handily by everyone so far. We better just hope for a Lesterville sweep!!! It's too nerve-racking leaving your fate up to someone else!!

-- Posted by sikte514 on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 2:25 PM
Chances of that happening to Winona are slim. Lutheran has not won a game all day. Looks like it will be a close match up between the top 3 teams. This is what state competition is all about... battle between the best.

-- Posted by vbfan on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 2:25 PM
Yeah but Luthern has played close games with lesterville and osceola

-- Posted by ThaVILLE on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 2:26 PM
I've posted the tiebreaker rules, which you probably noticed.

-- Posted by Rachel Crader on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 2:28 PM
At this point anything could happen. Go Bearcats!!

-- Posted by jckk4 on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 2:28 PM
Where is everyone from

-- Posted by ThaVILLE on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 2:29 PM
I'm from Piedmont. I use to teach at Lesterville.

-- Posted by jckk4 on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 2:30 PM
Leopold, here. But any team that can beat Bismarck, Leopold, and Bell City on their way to the Final Four gets my support!!!

-- Posted by sikte514 on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 2:31 PM
i live in lesterville now my cousin is rayven

-- Posted by ThaVILLE on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 2:31 PM
Lesterville has fought Bismarck for years.

-- Posted by jckk4 on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 2:32 PM
Yeah I no

-- Posted by ThaVILLE on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 2:33 PM
Lesterville is in the championship game. They needed only 15 points this set to clinch the tiebreakers with Osceola.

Osceola & Winona are still too close to call if Winona wins both & Osceola wins this set.

-- Posted by kJoboo on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 2:34 PM
REALLY?? That is great, but I'd rather they win this to prove to themselves they can do it!

-- Posted by jckk4 on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 2:36 PM
You're welcome Rachel. Stat geeks do come in handy every now & then.

Great job today by the way.

-- Posted by kJoboo on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 2:38 PM
If so I congratulate Lesterville, but I think it would be uncertain until the games are over???

-- Posted by vbfan on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 2:39 PM
Which one is it?

-- Posted by sikte514 on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 2:44 PM
Why does it show, "Osceola it is" and then it says Lesterville plays Winona? Which is it?

-- Posted by jckk4 on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 2:44 PM

Rachel Crader's response:
Because I made a mistake. Sorry. In too big of a hurry and I just finished typing Osceola 100 times...
Lesterville and Winona

-- Posted by vbfan on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, at 2:45 PM

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