By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Jamalee Hancock is generally pretty calm on the sideline.
But, after watching her team lose 11 of 15 points to host Carl Junction on Thursday, the longtime Willard head coach burned a timeout to refocus her group.
It worked…
Willard outscored Carl Junction 15-6 the rest of the way, taking the first set 25-20, part of a 2-0 sweep in COC action.
“That was a big point of the match,” said Hancock. “There were a few plays that happened quickly and our kids just didn’t react and waited for someone else to make a play; that’s not how we play volleyball. I told them everyone needed to elevate their level and do their job. They needed to be reminded that we can’t win games playing that way.”
Willard played without six-rotation senior Kara Finkbiner, who is nursing an injury, but the Lady Tigers made up for her absence with an incredible defensive effort.
Known for its big hitters, Carl Junction managed just 17 points in the second set.
Sophomore Ashley Lasher finished with a game-high four blocks and senior Kelsey Brower recorded nine digs, bringing her closer to 1,200 for her career.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE MATCH
“Defense starts at the net and I credit our block for a lot of tonight’s defense,” said Hancock. “We don’t block every ball, but we create an alley for our back row and it makes their job easier because they’re not having to guess. We dug some good balls but our block has been working really hard.”
However, Tuesday night was also about something bigger than volleyball.
The Lady Bulldogs hosted a “Pink Out” game, even using a pink and white ball. With nearly everyone in attendance wearing pink, CJ honored a few very special members of the community that had battled and survived breast cancer.
“This was absolutely a special night for reasons other than volleyball,” said Carl Junction coach Cheryl Sharples. “For us to be able to have those honorary coaches on our bench tonight – grandmothers of some of our players that have survived breast cancer – it’s really a special moment.”
With just two weeks left in the regular season, CJ and Willard and heading in very different directions.
The Lady Bulldogs have now lost three of their last four COC games, all coming to teams that are in their district/sectional/quarterfinal pod.
“We’ve got to just keep moving forward,” said Sharples. “At this point of the season you can’t afford to linger on any loss, you’ve just gotta keep working. It’s on to the next game and we’ve got to be prepared for that.”
For Willard, the goal is to get healthy and prepare for a school-record fourth straight district championship run.
“Playing tonight without Kara really highlights the depth we have and that’s a product of the way we practice; we have several kids ready to step in and play and they’re prepared because of the way they approach practice,” said Hancock. “They battle constantly. Much of our success is because of our bench and the way they raise our intensity level during practice.
“I’ve been at Willard 18 years and I love these northside kids. They come to practice every day ready to work and get better. These kids have accomplished a lot and we’re hoping we can finish the season strong.”
Carl Junction will be in action again on Saturday in the epically strong Ozark Grand Slam. Willard will host Branson on Thursday on Senior Night.
