Lady Tigers escape Joplin with a win

Freshman, middle school teams also win

By Joe Warren

Nevada Daily Mail

The Nevada Lady Tigers knew going in that their match with Joplin was going to be a tough one Tuesday.

The two teams had met just three days earlier during pool play of the Carl Junction tournament and they had each won a game and ended with a tie.

It was the only blemish of the day for the Lady Tigers as they went on to win the tournament.

Joplin had their sites set on winning this time and it started out like the home team was going to do just that.

Joplin won the first game of the match 25-19 before Nevada climbed back into it with a 25-20 win in the second game.

The third game was just as even as the two teams battled it out until Nevada eventually came away with a 28-26 win and their 10th match victory of the season.

"We had a couple moments of weakness but overall the girls played well," Nevada coach Sharla Wilkerson said. "I am proud of the girls for staying after it and finishing the game with a win."

The entire lineup pitched in for the victory, which was a consummate team effort.

Veronica Mosier led the team with 10 kills and 10 points.

Wendi Jones played well defensively with 21 digs.

Brittany Crockett and Lacy Leonard came through at the net for Nevada, registering five blocks each.

Ashley Beckett and Hillary Adams each had 12 assists at the setter position.

The Lady Tigers improved to 10-5-2 this season.

The next match for Nevada is Thursday when they host nearby rival El Dorado Springs.

The junior varsity lost to Joplin 25-18 and 25-22.

The freshman team continued their unbeaten run as they defeated Joplin 25-16 and 25-16.

Caedran Audley and Bethany Moore each had seven points to pace the freshman attack, while Kristen Badgley and Lindsay Rice did the most hitting damage. Badgley had seven kills and Rice had six.

The win makes the Nevada freshman 12-0 this season.

In middle school volleyball action Tuesday, Nevada's seventh-grade teams swept Lamar. The A-team won 25-17 and 25-21, while the B-team won 25-13 and 25-16.

Audrey Daniels led the A-team with 14 points, while the B-team was paced by Kristen Kitsmiller with 15 points. The A-team is now 11-3 this season and the B-team is 8-1.

The eighth-graders also swept Lamar, with the A-team winning 25-22 and 25-11 and the B-team winning 25-6 and 25-22.