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Tigers fall short in district title match
By Jason Peake
Daily Mail Sports Editor
PLEASANT HILL --Momentum is the name of the game in the sport of volleyball.
And on Wednesday night, Pleasant Hill grabbed the momentum and never let it go. The host Chicks defeated Nevada in two-straight sets in the championship match of the Class 3, District 12 tournament, winning 25-20, 25-17.
With the loss, the season ended for Nevada.
Number-one seed Pleasant Hill advanced to the sectional round of the Class 3 state tournament.
In both sets of the title match, host Pleasant Hill used big spurts to pull away from the third-seeded Tigers.
And in both sets, the Tigers simply could not take away the Chicks' momentum.
In the first set, Nevada led 7-4, but Pleasant Hill tied it up at 10.
Moments later, Pleasant Hill took a 15-13 lead.
At that point, the host Chicks turned it on. Pleasant Hill got on a roll, as their kill attempts found the floor again and again. Before the Tigers knew it, they were down 22-13 as Pleasant Hill scored seven-straight points.
Nevada's Morgan McNeley scored to stop the run, but the Tigers then served into the net. The Chicks went up 24-14 with a kill from Anna Prewitt.
Nevada did score six-straight points, with kills from Regan Kannady and Sharla Quick and a service point from Cassidy Lowery.
But Pleasant Hill's lead was too much to overcome, as a late kill by Kai Wesemann gave the Chicks a 25-20 victory.
In the second set, Nevada led 6-3, but Pleasant Hill tied it up at seven.
From there, the Chicks once again gained all of the momentum. Pleasant Hill scored 10-straight points, using big kills and solid blocking at the net. Nevada kept swinging away at the net, but the Pleasant Hill defense dug nearly everything up.
It was 17-7 before Nevada stopped the spurt with a kill from McNeley.
Moments later, Pleasant Hill's lead grew to 21-9.
The Tigers didn't quit. McNeley and Kannady had kills, but the Tigers also committed a couple of costly hitting errors late, as the Chicks won 25-17 to earn the title.
Nevada ends the season at 21-10-2.
Nevada reached the title match by knocking off second-seeded Holden 25-23, 25-21 in the semifinals.
In the first set, kills from Bailey Harbit, Kannady and Quick gave Nevada a 16-11 lead.
Holden rallied and tied it up at 19. Late in the set, Quick had two kills for the Tigers and two hitting errors on Holden gave Nevada the 25-23 win.
The second set was back and forth throughout. Harbit had a couple of kills at the net, Quick added one of her own and the Tigers led 21-18.
Both teams had service errors, but McNeley slammed a kill for Nevada. After the Eagles scored, a Holden hitting error gave Nevada the 25-21 win.
Pleasant Hill defeated Harrisonville in two sets in the first semifinal.
Class 3, District 12
Monday's scores
(4) Harrisonville def. (5) Clinton 25-11, 26-24.
(3) Nevada def. (6) Warrensburg 25-19, 25-7.
Wednesday's scores
(1) Pleasant Hill def Harrisonville.
Nevada def. (2) Holden 2-0.
Title match -- Pleasant Hill def. Nevada 2-0.