Volleyball District Preview: Scott City edges state champs, ready host C2D2 Tournament

Scott City coach Cindy Henry applauds her team after a point against Advance on Monday, Oct. 21, in Scott City.

Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

The Scott City Rams closed out the home slate of their regular season in grand fashion on Monday, Oct. 21, with a five-set victory over perennial state powerhouse Advance.

"We couldn't have asked for a better regular season game closer," Scott City head coach Cindy Henry said. "It's always great to win on your home floor but it exceptionally feels good to beat Advance, a very strong, well-coached Advance, is always nice."

Advance took the early advantage with a 25-21 win in the first set. Scott City evened it up with a 25-15 win of their own in the second set. The third and fourth set took a little longer, with the Hornets winning 28-26 and the Rams forcing the fifth set with a 27-25 win.

"Their defense, their effort, they didn't want the ball to hit the floor," Henry said. "They made it their mission to make sure that they dug everything up. They saw the ball well. They put the ball where it needed to be, in our setter's hands, so our attackers could do their jobs."

Led by Lilyan Landis' 19 kills, Makenna Gentry's 32 digs, and Ramsey Spinks' 44 assists, and 28 digs, the Rams won the pivotal final set 15-11 to defeat the Hornets for the first time since 2011.

"The girls came out and they've played like they know that they can play," Henry said. "I was proud of that."

The Rams host the Class 2 District 2 Tournament as the top seed. It's a unique tournament field compared to last year when the Rams won their first district title since 2011. Kelly is entering its first-ever district tournament as a volleyball team and will be playing Woodland on Wednesday, Oct. 23.

St. Vincent won three straight district titles while in Class 1. It's the Indians' first season in Class 2 and ironically their best season (18-8-5) since 2017. Both St. Vincent and Scott City are heavy favorites to meet in the final round on Saturday, Oct. 26.

"We're very compatible with them," Henry said. "I think that it can be anybody's game if we end up in the final."

As for Advance, the Hornets have been a dominating force in Class 1 since 2012, including eight straight district championships and five state titles during that run. They lead the Class 1 District 3 field, which is hosted by Zalma, a sixth seed that has averaged five wins through three years.

Despite an 18-11-2 record, its lowest in 10 years, Advance is still in a favorable position to repeat as district champions. Leopold represents the strongest dark horse to dethrone the Hornets, as the Wildcats are the only team in the tournament to win 20 games.

"It's good competition, and that's the big thing for me," Leopold head coach Heather Jansen said earlier in the season. "I love to go out and have teams that we play point for point with. It makes us a better team. Class 1 right now is a very hard class to be in. We're going up against the best."

Elsewhere in Class 1, the Oak Ridge Blue Jays have won between 16-17 games per season for the last four years, but a district championship seemed out of reach. Led by senior Reagan Howe, this may finally be the year for the Blue Jays, as they enter a Class 1 District 4 field in Crystal City with a comparable record to top-seeded New Haven.

Here is a look at the other local schools entering their respective district tournaments:

Class 3

Saxony Lutheran and Notre Dame once again find themselves in the same district. Saxony Lutheran defeated Notre Dame in straight sets to win the Class 3 District 1 Tournament last year, their fourth straight title.

This time around, the Bulldogs will wait on the Crusaders in the semifinals on Oct. 28. Saxony Lutheran takes on Doniphan in the first round on Oct. 24.

The Crusaders won't complete the regular season with 20 wins like their previous two seasons, but head coach Stephanie Brown is confident in her team going into the tournament.

"I feel like the girls are really coming along and starting to come together when we need to right at the end of the season," Brown said earlier in the season. "We had a tough Jackson Tournament and got some big wins. We beat Lindbergh, we beat Valle Catholic, we lost to Nerinx Hall in three but we were right there for all of those matches. I was super proud of the girls in the way they performed over the weekend, and we were able to build on that, take some of that momentum to bring it into this game here."

Notre Dame will look to return to the state tournament after Saxony Lutheran got in the way of their attempt for a three-peat. Dexter has also emerged as the top seed with its best record since 2017. The Bearcats host the district tournament and have a perfect 9-0 home record, making them a danger to the rest of the field.

Perryville concluded its regular season with a hard-fought home loss against Dexter at home on Monday and will start the postseason before any of the other local teams. The Pirates (9-16-1) take on Park Hills Central on Tuesday, Oct. 22, in Ste. Genevive, with hopes of advancing to the semifinal round against Potosi on Wednesday.

Class 4

The Cape Central Tigers enter the Class 4 District 1 Tournament as the No. 3 seed after having its best season in modern history under first-year head coach Sommer McCauley-Perdue.

The Tigers won 20 games for the first time since 2019 and the second time since 2009. They finished in the semifinal round of the Perryville Tournament and will finish the season with more wins than any year since MSHSAA.org started tracking.

With a 14-14-2 record a year ago and a new head coach, the Tigers were under the radar for most of the season. Perdue said earlier in the season the goal for her team was continuous “progression.”

“If you are not seeing any progression, you're not doing anything," Perdue said. "I believe that every day should be something that you're getting better at and working on. If you’re coming into the game and you didn't learn from the last game, that means we're doing the same thing. You need to learn from every experience.”

The Tigers begin their district run on Wednesday, Oct. 23, against DeSoto. A win would set them up for a semifinal matchup against either Sikeston or host Farmington on Oct. 26. The final round takes place on Oct. 29.

Class 5

Jackson enters the Class 5 District 1 Tournament at Cor Jesu Academy as the top seed with a 30-6 record. The Indians await the winner between the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds on Oct. 24 at 4:30 p.m. The semifinals take place on Oct. 28 and the championship game is Oct. 29.

The Indians have won 30 games for the fourth time in six seasons and will be looking for their sixth consecutive district championship. The Indians' 8-0 road record bodes well for their resiliency and overall chances of winning away from the friendly confines of the Jackson Event Center.

One thing that Jackson's head coach, David Mirly, said gives him optimism about going into the district tournament: not how many games the Indians have won but who they have beaten. Indians defeated last year's state champion, Incarnate Word, to win the Jackson Tournament, and have defeated district host Cor Jesu Academy for the first time.

"We're not intimidated by anybody," Mirly said. "We expect to beat anybody we play, and that's a great mental edge that we have."