A strong season for Steelville High School’s varsity volleyball team ended in agony, as the Lady Cardinals fell in straight sets to the Licking Wildcats in the Class 2 District 7 Championship game. Steelville was seeded-second in the District tournament and defeated Plato in a thrilling semifinals match to get to the finals after having a bye in the first round.

The Lady Cardinals finished with a 17-8-3 record under head coach Jill Simily and assistant coach Paige Cottrell, a two game improvement from last year’s 15-win team. Steelville will lose seniors Gracie Mae Boone, Maggie Bunch, Sylvia Davis, Jazmyn Hurd, Kylee Livesay and Emeri Perkins, who will graduate in May.   

The Red and White will return junior standouts Kaylin Gillam and Claire Settles, sophomore varsity contributors Alex Helms, Vivian West, Cami Mason and Adalei Perkins along with a cast of ascending junior varsity players and incoming freshmen.    

Oct. 21 vs. Plato

The two-seeded Lady Cardinals welcomed the three-seeded Plato Eagles into town for a district semifinals match up that was must-see action. This was the first time this season that Steelville was playing on its high school floor, after playing all of its regular season home games at Steelville Middle School, due to ongoing renovations. Plato defeated six-seeded Dixon in straight sets the night before and Steelville had a first round bye.

The Lady Cardinals took an early 1-0 set advantage after winning 25-23 in the opening frame. Plato responded with 25-19 victories in the second and third sets to take a 2-1 lead and force Steelville into a win or go home scenario in the final two sets.

The fourth set was a whirlwind of emotions from both teams and had multiple stoppages from referees who were trying to sort out Steelville’s substitutions and servers. Once play resumed, the Lady Cardinals appeared to be in control. The Red and White led 24-17 and looked primed to have an easy victory. But Plato rallied for six straight points to make it a 24-23 game. With the suspense mounting, the Lady Cardinals summoned the strength to score the 25th point and force a fifth and final set.

Tensions remained high in the fifth set as each team’s fan base roared as each point was scored. Neither team led by more than three points throughout the 15 point shortened set, which came down to the wire. With the score knotted at 12, the Lady Cardinals rallied for three straight points to earn the match victory, which brought the Steelville faithful to their feet with bellowing cheers.

The Lady Cardinals were without veteran front court players Bunch and Gillam and received meaningful contributions from sophomores Mason and West, who predominantly appeared on Steelville’s junior varsity team throughout the season. Mason started for the Lady Cardinals and West came off the bench to provide multiple kills later in the match. Steelville also received strong contributions from senior stalwarts, Perkins, Hurd and Livesay along with a steady all-around performance from junior Claire Settles. Statistics weren’t provided for this match.   

Oct. 23 vs. Licking

The stage was set for a match up between the one-seeded Licking Lady Wildcats and the two-seeded Steelville Lady Cardinals in the Class 2 District 7 Championship game. The two teams were familiar foes, who faced off twice earlier in the season.

The Lady Wildcats defeated Steelville 2-0 during the Sept. 19 Cuba Varsity Volleyball tournament and topped the Lady Cardinals 3-1 during a Sept. 29 match in Licking. Unfortunately for the Lady Cardinals, the match up the third time would not be the charm.

Licking won the first set of the district finals 25-18 to take an early 1-0 lead. Steelville battled back in a highly competitive second set. However with the score knotted at 24, the Lady Wildcats scored two straight points to win 26-24 to take a 2-0 advantage. Licking then won 25-19 in the third and final set to advance to an Oct. 29 Sectionals match versus Liberty (Mountain View) and end the season for the Lady Cardinals.