Billings, Mo. (OzarksSportsZone.com) -- After a forgettable first set and an early deficit in the second set, the Billings High School volleyball team had suddenly gotten a second wind. Clever never blinked.
The Lady Bluejays turned away Billings’ surge to escape late in the second set for a 25-15, 26-24 victory Tuesday night in a Southwest Central League showdown.
The Lady Bluejays turned away Billings’ surge to escape late in the second set for a 25-15, 26-24 victory Tuesday night in a Southwest Central League showdown.
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Clever appeared to be well on its way to an easy two-set victory, leading 10-3 early in the second set. Billings began to chip away at Clever’s lead, tying it 18-18 after two consecutive aces.
The Lady Wildcats would even have set point at 24-22 after senior Emily Smith’s kill. But Clever responded with four straight kills of its own, including the final two by junior Julia Krebs.
Coach Teresa Hanafin credited the calmness of Krebs, Abby Twigg and Bailey Baumann, who were all contributors to Clever’s state final four team last season.
“At one time, I turned to Julia (Krebs) and said, ‘We’ve got this. Just keep your cool,’” Hanafin said. “And we were down by two. That’s the beauty of those three girls coming back from the state team last year. They’ve been there, they know the pressure, they know the excitement. They were able to keep their cool and do what they needed to get the victory.”
Krebs finished with 11 kills and seven digs. Clever freshman setter Lacey Menzie had 20 assists.
Errors haunted Billings in the first set. Seven of Clever’s first 12 points came via Billings miscues.
Billings trailed 10-9 in the first set, but Clever went on a 9-2 spurt capped by a Krebs kill to take control for good.
“We started passing the ball better where we could get better looks and then once we started swinging, we were fine,” said Billings coach Britany Cheek. “We just can’t dig ourselves a hole and expect to come back.”
Billings suffered just its third loss of the season, falling to 17-3-1 overall. The Lady Wildcats are the No. 2 seed for the Class 1, District 9 tournament next week in Pierce City.
“I think it was good for them to get this game in because we were going on such a high and sometimes it’s good to take that step back and see what we need to work on,” Cheek said. “Now that we know what we need to work on, we feel we’re going to go full speed into districts.”
Clever improved to 17-11 and is seeded second for the Class 2, District 11 tournament held at Washburn. Hanafin was glad her squad got an early taste of a postseason-like game.
“I would have much rather had this than a blow away game because this really helps our mental aspect of getting ready for districts,” Hanafin said.
Clever 2, Billings 0
25-15, 26-24
Clever leaders: Julia Krebs 11 kills, 7 digs. Lacey Mincey 20 assists.
Billings leaders: Olivia Fabro 8 digs, 10 assists. Alyssa Young 5 blocks, 5 kills. Emily Smith 5 kills
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