Lady Tigers drop tight match to Diamond

DIAMOND, Mo. -- The Nevada Lady Tigers battled to the end, but fell a bit short in a three-game loss at Diamond on Friday. Nevada narrowly lost the first game 23-25, then bounced back to take the second 25-21. The Tigers dropped the deciding third game 22-25. "We played well overall," said Nevada coach Sharla Wilkerson. "We played a lot more aggressively than we have been, so that's a good thing to see as we head into districts." The Tigers (8-16-2) opened Class 3, District 12 competition last night against Warrensburg at Pleasant Hill High School. Results were unavailable at press time. In Friday's final regular-season match, Lacy Leonard led the Tigers with seven kills and seven solo blocks, while Veronica Mosier added five kills and three blocks. Mosier also served for 10 points. Hillary Adams scored eight. The Tigers finished third in the Southwest Conference with a 3-5 mark. Webb City (8-2) claimed the conference championship. Neosho (6-3) was second, followed by Nevada, Carthage (2-6) and McDonald County (2-6). Nevada senior Jenny McCullough was voted to the all-Southwest Conference first team, while junior Ashley Beckett was a second-team choice.