The Lady Tigers overcame some early-game jitters in their district opener, sweeping Webb City in two close sets, 25-23, 25-23.
Both teams made several unforced errors as the match began, but Webb City had the worst of it, falling behind 5-1 early. The Cardinals eventually tied the game at 6-6, but when Republic took an 8-7 lead, it would never trail again. The Lady Tigers stretched the lead to four points on several occasions, and held on down the stretch.
“There were a lot of errors made on both sides, but I’m proud of what we did,” says coach Piper Wright. “I feel like we passed fairly well, and when we were switching up our shots and being aggressive, it worked for us.
In the second set, Republic trailed by as many as four points, 14–18. But the Lady Tigers outscored Webb City 11-5 the rest of the way to put the game away.
Rylee Moseman tallied nine kills to lead the Lady Tigers’ attack. Bella Drennan had 14 assists. Eryn Russell had 18 digs, and Emma Pearce led the team with two service aces.
With the win, Republic advances to the district semifinals Wednesday night against top-seeded Carthage at 4:30 pm. Carl Junction and Joplin are on the other half of the bracket. All three of the other remaining teams have 20+ wins, but coach Piper Wright says she believes the Lady Tigers can beat any of them.
“I feel like it could have gone either way with any of these teams, depending on how well they’re playing,” Wright says. “Do I think we can come out on top? Absolutely.”
