Republic eliminated the drama in its district opener. Two weeks after going five sets with Carthage at home, the Lady Tigers swept sixth-seeded Carthage 25–22, 25–17, 25–19 in the Class 5 District 6 quarterfinals at Ozark.
The third-seeded Lady Tigers were steady from the start, winning a close first set before tightening their play in the final two. Coach Allison Davis had emphasized cleaning up mistakes—Republic had committed 50 unforced errors in 125 points during the regular-season meeting—and this time, the team delivered a composed, efficient performance.
The second set was back-and-forth early, with the teams tied 10–10 before Republic began to separate. Behind a kill from Reese Finley and an ace that pushed the lead to 21–14, Republic took command. Carthage called timeout, but Republic scored four of the next six points to close out the set 25–17.
Carthage kept pace early in the third, tying the score at 13–13, but Republic’s front line took control from there. A block by Kate Mitchell and kills from Audrey Pearce, Andie Wistrom, and Finley powered a 12–6 run to finish the match.
Finley led with 11 kills and four service aces. Addyson Warner had 22 digs, Chloe Pullan recorded 18 assists, and Mitchell added five assists of her own. Pearce contributed two blocks and four assists.
Republic (now 17-10-1) advances to play second-seeded Nixa (25–9) in the semifinals Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Ozark. Republic has won eight in a row.
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