By Richard Polen
rpolen@joplinglobe.com
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — College Heights Christian School will play Maryville at 9 a.m. today in the third-place game of the Class 2 Missouri Volleyball Championships.
Maryville defeated College Heights 25-21, 25-22 in the first match of the tournament Friday morning. College Heights then fell to defending state champion Hermann 25-10, 25-12, and to Scott City, last year’s runner-up, 25-18, 25-10.
“Any time you get to the Final Four, everybody here is good,” College Heights head coach Karla Gaines said. “A lot of times it comes down to who makes the fewest errors.”
If the Lady Cougars looked at times as though they were playing in the Final Four for the first time, it’s because they were.
The tournament is played in downtown Kansas City at Municipal Auditorium, site of some of the most memorable moments in college basketball history.
Although the crowd for the morning session was slim, the cheers from the crowd echoed in the cavernous arena.
“It’s their first time in the Final Four,” College Heights head coach Karla Gaines said. “It’s a huge auditorium to play in.
“We have a couple of girls who are sick and are struggling with our energy level.”
Maryville led 22-15 in the first game before College Heights scored the next three points, including a kill by Makayla Fuller, that brought the Cougars to within 22-18. Then, trailing 24-15, the Cougars scored twice, including a kill by Konner McIntire, before Maryville finally won the game.
In the second game, College Heights led 14-12 before Maryville scored eight of the next 10 points and took a 20-16 lead. Trailing 24-19, College Heights scored the next three points on kills by Missy Sterling and Kelsi Bodine and a block by Bodine and Kaylee Ohmart before Maryville ended it.
Hermann, led by Shelby Winkelmann, a 5-8 junior, rolled to a 15-5 lead in its first game against College Heights, and took control of the second game in similar fashion by taking a 14-5 lead.
The Bearcats stayed on the offensive by making several kills while running laterally across the court and not allowing the Lady Cougars to establish themselves defensively.
But against Scott City, College Heights showed it could compete with one of the top teams in Class 2 when it took a 13-9 lead in the first game and prompted a time out by Scott City.
The Lady Cougars led 17-14 before Scott City scored 11 of the next 12 points behind the blocking and kills of 6-1 sophomore Kathryn Hogan. In the second game, it was Scott City’s Brooke Simpson, a 5-10 senior, who powered the Rams to victory.
“We were playing a little cautious,” Gaines said. “When we played aggressively, we played well.
“The kids have done some good things today. They’re excited to be here,” she said. “It’s a neat experience, but it’s a very big place.”
