Advance volleyball beats rival Leopold to claim third consecutive district championship

Advance's Nyah Wilson (2) reacts with her teammates after posting the match-winning point against Leopold in the Class 1 District 3 volleyball tournament at Oak Ridge High School in Oak Ridge. Advance won 25-15, 25-16.

KASSI JACKSON

Addie Curtis is bringing home the Class 1 District 3 championship plaque, literally.

The Advance volleyball senior has a tradition. Every time the Hornets win a plaque, she sleeps with it that night.

"It's good luck," Curtis said.

She's had plenty of practice.

Advance players raise the Class 1 District 3 plaque after defeating Leopold in the championship match.

KASSI JACKSON

Advance won three regular-season tournaments this year and the top-seeded Hornets claimed their third consecutive district championship Tuesday, sweeping No. 2 Leopold 25-15, 25-16 in the final at Oak Ridge High School in Oak Ridge, Missouri.

"It's amazing," Curtis said. "It feels great."

With the win, the Hornets (31-2-1) advance to Saturday's Class 1 sectional against Valle Catholic, which will be hosted by the Class 1 District 1 champion. Holcomb and South Pemiscot will face off for that title Thursday.

The previous two Advance titles came in District 2 against Bernie. Then district re-alignment happened, putting rivals Advance and Leopold (20-9-4) on a collision course.

The two programs face off annually in the regular season, and Advance has won the last seven matchups, dating back to 2015.

That includes an Advance straight-set win on Sept. 13, one of 20 consecutive victories to begin the season.

KASSI JACKSON ~ kjackson@semissourian.com

Advance's Addison Curtis (14) and Rozlynn Schrader (10) block the ball against the Leopold Wildcats during the Missouri Class 1A District 3 volleyball tournament at Oak Ridge High School Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018, in Oak Ridge.

"We were able to get a few things from that game," Hornets coach Erin Hoffman said. "But once you play over a month, you're a different team."

Advance started fast Tuesday, winning six of the first seven points to build an insurmountable early advantage. Leopold got as close as two points during that first game, but the Hornets always had a response.

Fueled by Roz Schrader's serve, Advance ended the set on a 7-1 run, fittingly capped by a Schrader kill.

The junior middle hitter finished unofficially with 15 kills. Sophomores Alyssa Miles and Nyah Wilson added six and four kills, respectively.

"Our middle, she's our go-to," Curtis said. "She's always ready to hit, always ready for everything. We have some really good sophomores that have really stepped up and are always ready to play."

That solid attack helped Advance overcome a shaky passing performance.

"Our service and passing might have been the worst we've done in awhile," Hoffman said. "Our service and passing was not very strong tonight. Luckily, our hitters were able to hit anything tonight, and our setter (Curtis) did a great job taking those passes and turning them into something."

Leopold started the second set better and was ahead 7-6 when Advance went on a 6-0 run to take the lead for good.

The Wildcats never got closer than three the rest of the way.

"I'm proud of our girls," Leopold coach Sandy Davis said. "We had an amazing season. ... They lost to a good team. I'm proud of everybody. We have a great group of girls that work so hard. I'm proud of them."

Kyla Beel led Leopold with 14 kills, plus seven assists, four digs and a block. Paige Davis added 18 assists, three kills, four digs and an ace, and senior Patience Vandermierden had six kills, three assists and two digs.

Advance now moves on to a familiar stumbling block. The last two seasons, Advance has lost in the sectional round, including a straight-set loss to Valle Catholic last year.

The Hornets are looking to reverse that trend Saturday. If Advance does avenge last year's loss to Valle, it will advance to a quarterfinal matchup later that day at the same site.

So Advance celebrated Tuesday, with the team taking pictures in front of the student section and then with parents and families. But the celebratory mood won't last too long. Soon enough, the Hornets will get back to work.

"Definitely when you play a good team, it helps you see where your weaknesses are," Hoffman said. "I was able to see a lot of things we can work on the next three days."

Semifinals

Earlier Tuesday, Beel tallied 13 kills, two assists, four digs and two blocks as the Wildcats swept host and third-seeded Oak Ridge 25-22, 25-17.

Oak Ridge finished the season with a 23-9-1 record.

Paige Davis added 15 assists, three kills, two aces and four digs. Vandermierden chipped in three kills, two assists and four digs, and Lindsey Duckworth had four kills and four digs.

Advance easily disposed of No. 5 Meadow Heights 25-4, 25-10 in the first semifinal. Meadow Heights ended the season with a 15-14-2 record. No further information was provided.

First team

Roz Schrader, Advance

Addie Curtis, Advance

Nyah Wilson, Advance

Sophie Thompson, Oak Ridge

Mollie Thompson, Oak Ridge

Kyla Beel, Leopold

Patience Vandermierden, Leopold

Second team

Michaela Ayers, South Iron

Paige Davis, Leopold

Lindsey Duckworth, Leopold

Maggie Howe, Oak Ridge

Alyssa Miles, Advance

Meadow Morse, Advance