By Trent Singer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Cape Girardeau, Mo. — For Winona, a trip to the Show Me Center might’ve felt like a victory in itself.
The five-time state champion Lady Wildcats had been plagued with injuries throughout their entire 2017 campaign, and it all culminated in Saturday’s Class 1 third-place game.
In the end, Winona settled for fourth place following a 25-15, 25-16 defeat against Valle Catholic, but longtime coach Francie McBride took none of this year’s experience for granted.
“We’re super blessed to be here,” McBride said. “We’ve had so many things thrown at us. … We have to be realistic and realize that we’re just lucky to have made it this far.
“Of course, it’s not the outcome that we wanted, and we’re disappointed because I think we had more to give than we did. But it was a good year considering everything we’ve gone through. If you would’ve told me six weeks ago when all these players were hurt and injured that we would be here, I would be very thankful.”
The Lady Wildcats (19-13-2) led by as many as three points early in the opening set, but the Lady Warriors (31-3-1) responded with a 13-1 run to take a 20-9 lead.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE MATCH
An ace by Kiley Counts capped a 4-1 burst for Winona, cutting the deficit to 21-13, before Valle scored four of the final six points to clinch the set for a 1-0 lead in the match. A kill by Hannah Viox ended the first set for the Lady Warriors.
“They’re super scrappy,” McBride said about Valle. “They can pound the ball. They have great setters. Their set-receive was right on there. They’re just a good team. They’re very aggressive.
“I feel like they came out ready to battle today. That was what our plan was, and it didn’t quite work out that way.”
The defense of libero Sydni Basler, who finished with a match-high 20 digs, coupled with an efficient attack proved to be too much for the Lady Wildcats to overcome in the second game.
“We’ve got some girls that can kill the ball, and there were several that I felt like would’ve been a kill any other day. And they got under it,” McBride said. “They just came ready to play today.”
There were five lead changes and seven ties in the second set, during which service errors plagued Winona. The Lady Wildcats finished the match with eight service errors.
“That was a killer,” McBride said about her team’s struggles behind the line. “Every time it felt like we were getting an edge, we’d miss a serve or there was a call. There were a couple questionable calls as well that just got in our heads. Instead of just pushing through and realizing you’re going to lose some points, you’ve just got to battle back. We let it get in our heads, I think.”
An attack error gave Valle the lead for good at 9-8, but Winona was able to tie things up one last time at 13-13.
However, the Lady Warriors quickly distanced themselves, using a 6-1 run to take a 19-14 lead on a kill by Riley Wolk. Consecutive kills by Bridgette Rutledge pulled the Lady Wildcats within three points, 19-16, before a 6-0 run by Valle brought an end to the match.
Counts led the way for Winona, finishing with seven kills and five digs, while Lyndsey Rightnowar paced the Lady Wildcats’ defense with 10 digs. Setter Anna Cox had 13 assists for Winona.
For Valle, Alaina Bauman led the way with eight kills and nine digs, while Taylor Siebert contributed a match-high 23 assists.
Winona will graduate three seniors, including setter Lillian Wright, who watched the game from the bench with a torn ACL. Rutledge and Delaney Hicks, who had nine digs on Saturday, are the Lady Wildcats’ two other seniors.
“They’re just outstanding athletes, as well as some of the most outstanding kids I’ve ever coached,” McBride said. “It’s not the ending that you want for them, but they could’ve been sitting at home this weekend. So I’m proud of them for helping to lead us here.”
McBride hopes Saturday’s result will help add fuel to the fire for a four-player junior class that she expects big things from next year. She’s also looking forward to the arrival of several other new underclassmen who will enter the fold next season.
“We obviously look to be back here again and hope to be back again next year,” McBride said.
