After a tough start to the week against stiff competition, Steelville High School’s volleyball team earned a hard fought victory on the road against Belle to end the week on a high note. The Lady Cardinals dropped matches to Licking and Cuba Sept. 29 and Oct. 1 respectively, before beating Belle Oct. 2 to move its record to 9-6-1 on the season heading into the last two weeks of the regular season.

Steelville hosted Viburnum Oct. 5, which will be detailed in next week’s edition. The Lady Cardinals will play in Dixon Oct. 7 and host Belle Oct. 8 before seeing Belle again in the Oct. 10 Belle Varsity Volleyball Tournament. Steelville will play in Cuba Oct. 12, host Bourbon Oct. 13 and host Bunker Oct. 15 for senior night and its regular season finale.

Sept. 29 vs. Licking

The Lady Cardinals traveled to Licking to take on a powerful Licking Lady Wildcats squad. Licking won first place in the Sept. 19 Cuba Varsity Volleyball Tournament and defeated Steelville 2 sets to 0 when the two teams faced off that day.

10 days later, the Lady Wildcats pounced first, beating the Lady Cardinals 25-9 in the first set. Steelville responded in the second set by handily defeating Licking 25-19 to even the match at one set apiece. 

The third set was highly contested and proved to be crucial in the final results. After a back and forth battle, Licking was able to squeeze out the third set with a 25-23 win to take a 2-1 lead. The Lady Wildcats then controlled the fourth set for the most part, earning a 25-19 win to earn a match victory, while sending the Lady Cardinals home wondering what if. Steelville fell to 8-5-1 with the loss and Licking improved to 15-6-2 on the season. 

Jazmyn Hurd compiled 25 receptions, 14 digs, five service aces and three assists. Emeri Perkins had 24 receptions, 11 kills, eight digs and three service aces. Kaylin Gillam tallied 11 kills, seven digs and three receptions. Kylee Livesay recorded 12 assists, six digs, three receptions and three service aces. Gracie Mae Boone had 10 receptions and eight digs. Claire Settles added nine assists and five digs. Vivian West had five kills and Alex Helms chipped in two service aces, one dig and one reception.

Oct. 1 vs. Cuba

Steelville hosted its Highway 19 neighbor and Gasconade Valley Conference (GVC) foe, Cuba Lady Wildcats two days later. Emotions were high for Pink Out Night, where the Lady Cardinals raised funds for a community member’s battle with cancer. Before the match started, Steelville senior Sylvia Davis read a passage honoring cancer survivor Tina Mason before both teams then locked arms while Hurd read a prayer for those who are battling cancer.

The match itself was highly contested as neither team won a set by more than five points. Steelville trailed 18-17 in a first set that could’ve gone either way. The Lady Cats then scored five out of six points to take a 23-18 lead. After each team traded points, Cuba emerged with a 25-20 victory to win the first set.

The second set was a competitive back and forth battle where each team went on significant runs. The Lady Cardinals were in control early and took a 21-11 lead. However, the pesky Cuba Cats mounted a furious 11-2 comeback and the game tied the game at 23.

It wasn’t easy for either team to score two points in a row, as the tension in the gym continued to mount as the score increased. Steelville was one point away from the win multiple times, but couldn’t seal the victory as Cuba went on to steal the set with a 29-27 win.

With their backs against the wall, the Lady Cardinals showed resilience, earning a 25-23 set victory in the third set to prolong the match. The fourth set was also competitive, but Cuba was able to come away with a 25-21 victory to win the match and earn an outright title of the GVC.

Oct. 2 vs. Belle

The Red and White played the following night on the road against the Belle Lady Tigers, another GVC opponent. Steelville found themselves in another highly competitive matchup, which took all five sets to settle.

Belle won the first set 26-24 and Steelville took the second set 25-23 to even the score. Belle battled for a 28-26 victory in the third set but the Cardinals responded with an emphatic 25-15 win to force a fifth and final set.

The fifth set mirrored the first three frames and was decided by just two points. With the set tied at 14, a Settles assist to a Perkins spike gave Steelville a 15-14 advantage. Perkins then unleashed an ace on the following serve, sealing the victory for the Lady Cardinals. Statistics weren’t provided for this match.