By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
After eliminating rival and ten-time defending district champion Ozark, top seed Nixa still had work to do in Wednesday night’s Class 4 District 10 tournament.
The battle-tested Lady Eagles were ready for the program’s biggest moment in a decade.
Nixa defeated a competitive Kickapoo squad 25-23, 25-21 in the district finals.
The Lady Eagles last won a district volleyball title in 2010.
“Long time coming,” said Nixa coach Annie Zimmerman.
Lady Eagles senior Lauren Weber served an ace to clinch the district championship.
Nixa’s players dogpiled in celebration. That dogpile quickly grew as the Nixa student section stormed the court to join in.
“It was just an overwhelming experience,” said Weber, who added 13 digs and three kills.
Nixa will host its Class 4 sectional on Saturday. Start times will be announced Thursday.
The Lady Eagles (32-4 overall) will face Webb City (28-6 overall) in the first sectional, followed by Willard vs. Jefferson City.
The winners will play later that day for a spot in the Class 4 state volleyball championships next weekend in Cape Girardeau.
“It’s a real honor because it shows to the people who follow us that, ‘This is what you can do and this should be what you play for every year,’” Weber said. “This is how it should be.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE MATCH
Nixa needed three sets to defeat Ozark in the semifinals Wednesday night.
Facing No. 2 seed Kickapoo in the finals, Nixa faced a 21-19 deficit in the first set.
The Lady Eagles rallied and scored the final three points of the set, thanks to a Jaycee Fixsen kill and a pair of Kickapoo errors.
“Districts, it’s a crazy time of year,” Zimmerman said. “Teams are going to play their absolute best. They’re going to come at you, and keep coming at you. We had to be able to stick to our gameplan and everything we do. And we did.”
Fixsen, a sophomore, led Nixa with 11 kills. Sydney Golden had 27 assists, and Jordan Collard had 14 digs.
Nixa led most of the second set, but fell behind at 18-17. The Lady Eagles responded with a title-clinching 8-3 run.
Zimmerman said her team has shown that type of resilience throughout the season.
“Every time a team would come at them, they would always be able to withstand it,” Zimmerman said. “They fight through adversity. I’m so proud of them. They truly earned this.”
Nixa’s semifinal group on Wednesday night included two other Central Ozark Conference schools: Ozark (19-14 overall) and Branson (29-6 overall).
The Lady Eagles will see at least one more COC school on Saturday – Webb City – with another conference foe, Willard (31-4 overall), potentially awaiting in the quarterfinals.
“People talk a lot about the Kansas City and St. Louis area – and yes, there are definitely good teams there – but there are so many quality teams right here in our area,” Zimmerman said. “I think that probably gives us an advantage going into the postseason because our conference schedule and even our non-conference schedule – the local games we play – those are the games that prepare us for these big moments.
“I feel like our girls were prepared for tonight. We’ve played tough teams all year.”
