Two heavyweights went at it in the district volleyball semifinal between Nixa and Republic Monday, and the Eagles landed the knockout punch. Both teams overcame big deficits before Nixa finished the night with a four-set victory, 25-22, 21-25, 25-20, 25-21.
Republic, which entered the night with a 26-9 record, made it clear from the start it was not intimidated by Nixa (28-7) despite two earlier losses. The Lady Tigers jumped to an 18-10 lead in the first set, but Nixa scored 12 of the next 14 points to take a 22-20 lead and finished it out from there.
Republic turned the tables in the second set. Nixa led 16-10, but Republic won seven of the next nine points to tie the score at 18. Republic outscored Nixa 7-3 the rest of the way to even the score at one set apiece.
In the third, Nixa grabbed an 8-2 lead, and Republic never got closer than two points the rest of the way. It was 21-19 after Republic won five straight points (including four with Brooklyn Clayton serving), but Nixa won four of the last five points to go up two sets to one.
Republic again led early in the fourth set, but couldn’t make the lead hold up. The Lady Tigers were up 9-2, but Nixa fought back to a 14-14 tie. The set was tied four more times until Nixa won four of the last five points to finish off the night.
Coach Allison Davis said her team just made too many mistakes against a good opponent.
“Nixa’s a great team. I’m not going to take anything from them, but what hurt us were the little errors we created and the things we could have controlled,” coach Allison Davis said. “Those moments where we were ahead… we had hitting error after hitting error, and it just added up. Those little errors are what got us — not being as consistent as we wanted at those very important moments.”
Rilynn Finley led the Lady Tigers with 14 kills. She also had 14 digs, matching Brooklyn Claxton’s total. Kailey Manes led the team with six blocks and also had 18 assists. Claire Esther chipped in with five service aces.
Nixa improves to 29-7 and will face Kickapoo in the district championship.
The Lady Tigers finish their season with a 26-10 record. It’s the most wins for Republic in a decade. The 2012 team finished 28-8. Davis said this year’s team, and especially its seniors, have established a standard for future seasons.
“These kids are amazing,” Davis said. “I just told them, we were so blessed go get Claire (Esther) for the two years we had her, and everything she brought to the team — mentally strong and being consistent for us, and being a person the young kids could really look up to.
“And then having Kailey (Manes) and Kaemyn (Bekemeier) the last four years, and seeing them grow up in this program and everything they put in, I’m so stinking proud of them. I just thanked them for everything they’ve put into this program. They’ve set the expectation really high.”
Most of all, Davis said she’s proud of this year’s entire team for its never-quit attitude.
“I’m proud of my team because they just did not stop fighting. They wanted it, and they worked so hard, and I just wish we could have done something to get this for them,” she said.