Class 1 teams open state bids

November 01, 2008 01:28 am

— By Anvil Welch
awelch@joplinglobe.com
Wheaton, from the Ozark 7 Conference, and Spring River Valley Conference members Jasper and Lockwood travel today for the sectional round of playoffs in MSHSAA Class 1 volleyball.
Lockwood and Wheaton go to Billings. Jasper journeys to Lincoln.
The schedule at Billings is Wheaton (15-10-1) vs. Eminence (33-3) at 3 p.m. and Lockwood (25-4-4) vs. Sparta (21-11-2) at 4:30.
At Lincoln, near Sedalia, it’s Jasper (19-9-1) vs. Chamois (13-8-1) at 3:30 p.m. and Osceola (26-6-1) vs. defending Class 1 champion Sedalia Sacred Heart (26-6-3) at 5.
Quarterfinal matches will be held 30 minutes after the finish of the second sectional with that survivor advancing to Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City for the semifinals and finals next week.
Jasper vs. Chamois
The Eagles, coached by Annastasia Forst, will send a veteran team to face the Chamois Eagles of Osage County.
Forst, who’s assisted by Ken Godfrey, said all the Jasper starters had varsity experience entering this season.
They include the Eagles’ only two seniors in Kara Probert and 6-foot-1 Candice Talbot.
Juniors complete the starters. They are middle hitter Marisa Bausinger, Elyse Davis, Ivy Sisseck and Megan Stump.
The Jasper roster is rounded out by freshman Lindsey Porter and juniors Beth Housh, Katie Housh, Holly Poindexter and Kelly Thomas.
Jasper, which finished 6-3 in the SRVC, is coming off its first district championship since 1997 and 1998 under Betty Weaver.
Wheaton vs. Eminence
The third-seeded Bulldogs, according to the seedings, pulled off two upsets to win the District 7 Tournament at Billings.
Wheaton, runner-up to Exeter in the Ozark 7 during the regular season, beat the second-seeded Tigers in the semifinals and No. 1 Verona for the title.
Starters for Wheaton are seniors Brooke Forgey, Haley Goostree and Brittney Peters; junior libero Samantha Pierce; sophomores Kelli McCracken and Elizabeth Shockley, and juniors Mica Tichenor or Sarah Weatherman.
Veteran Wheaton coach Tracy Prigg, who’s assisted by Terri Priest, said that sophomore Ranysha Pierce completes the roster.
Eminence has lost to Lebanon, Willard and Lesterville.
Lockwood vs. Sparta
The Tigers, coming off their 22nd district title and 10th in a row, defeated the Trojans earlier this season.
Coach Cheryl Shores, who’s assisted by husband Mike, has won a state title (40-1 in 2004) and logged a third and two fourths during her remarkable career at Lockwood — head coach except for one year — that began in the fall of 1980.
Five seniors start for Lockwood — Katee Flynn, Bekah Ogden, libero Hannah Ross, Rochelle Wallen and Sophie Whitesell. Juniors Carrie Lovercamp and Katie Shaw complete the alignment and another junior, Charlina Bough, comes in on the front row.
Junior Jessica Julian and sophomore Libby Singleton round out the varsity roster.