Bell City, Bernie will meet for title tonight

Jerry Jarrell photo Kennett's Taylor Wake (18) hits the ball against New Madrid County Central during Monday's first-round action at the Class 3, District 1 volleyball tournament at Dexter.

BERNIE -- It is assured that a SCAA team will walk away with the Class 1, District 2 volleyball title as host Bernie and Bell City advanced to tonight's championship game.

The title game is the only match on tap and is scheduled to get underway at 6 o'clock.

Bell City, the tournament's No. 1 seed, earned a first-round bye, then defeated conference rival Richland, 25-13, 25-13, to earn a shot at the title, while the Lady Mules, seeded No. 2, had to win two matches to reach the tournament finale.

The Lady Mules didn't disappoint the home crowd with a 25-8, 25-13 opening win over No. 7 Clarkton, then bounced No. 6 Oran from the tournament with a 25-20, 25-16 decision.

"We were a little flat in this game," Rodgers said of his team's semifinal effort. " We sat three games before this one, that could have played a part in that.

"We are facing a tremendous player tomorrow (Tuesday) in Jasmine Johnson," Rodgers continued, pointing to Bell City's outstanding sophomore hitter. "We'll have to be on top of all facets of our game tomorrow night for us to win. Someone has to step up and block her and dig her attacks. It should be a good game."

David Matthews/SEMO News Service Photo Bernie's Katie Baker sets teh ball during district volleyball action at Bernie Monday night.

Bernie improved to 14-13-3 on the year.

Class 1, District 3

At Advance

Number 5 seed Saxony Lutheran upset No. 4 Meadow Height in three sets to earn the right to try and take down the tournament's top team, Leopold, tonight at 5:30 p. m.

Saxony Lutheran dropped the first set to No. 4 seed Meadow Heights, 25-20, but bounced back to win the next two, 25-23, 25-14, to advance to the semifinals.

Host Advance, the No. 3 seed, downed No. 6 Oak Ridge, 25-12, 25-16, and will meet No. 2 Zalma, a 25-8, 25-7 winner over No. 7 Marquand, tonight at 6:45.

The championship game is set for 8 p. m.

Class 3, District 1

At Dexter

At the Class 3, District 1 tournament at Dexter, there were no surprises in the first round Monday.

With top seed Notre Dame and No. 2 Dexter waiting for opponents with first-round byes, No. 3 Fredericktown rolled over No. 6 Doniphan, 25-8, 25-5, and the always close matchup of four and five seeds was just that as Kennett slipped past New Madrid County Central, 25-21, 25-18.

Against NMCC, the Lady Tribe overcame a weeklong layoff to advance in district play.

"We were a little bit flat," Kennett coach Laura Ort said. "We did some things well, but there were some things we could have done better, but I think we'll be back on the right track for (the semifinals)."

Audrey Wynne led the way with eight kills and four blocks, while Taylor Wake stepped up with seven kills, a pair of blocks and four digs. Ciara Dewrock added five kills, three aces and five digs while Morgan Pickens chipped in four kills and Chrisie Burrow dished off 21 assists.

"I've got five seniors, one junior and a couple of sophomores stepping up to play," Ort said. "It's a good mix with some kids that got some experience last year. It'll be exciting."

Notre Dame will play Kennett (19-7-4) today at 5 p.m., while Dexter (16-14) will take on Fredericktown at 6 o'clock. The championship game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Dexter High School gym.

"It's been several years since we got to the finals and we know we are going to have to come in (Tuesday) and bring our A game against Notre Dame," Ort said. "We're just excited for the opportunity to come in and see what we can do."

Doniphan was not match for the Lady Cats of Fredericktown in the first game of the evening.

Fredericktown bolted to a quick lead and never looked back in a straight-sets win by the tournament's No. 3 seed.

Class 2, District 2

At Bloomfield

Three SCAA teams are in the semifinals at Bloomfield, but the state-ranked Scott City Lady Rams are still the team to beat.

Woodland (No. 5) upset No. 4 Clearwater in the first round to earn the first crack at the hightly touted Lady Rams in a 4 p. m. game today.

Number 2 Bloomfield and No. 3 Puxico will meet for the third time this season after splitting two games this season. Puxico defeated Bloomfield in a regular season meeting, but it was the Lady Wildcats that took the second meeting of the two schools in the SCAA tournament. This semifianl game is scheduled to get underway at 5 p. m. with the title game to follow at 6:30.