By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO - The East Buchanan Bulldogs girls' volleyball team fought hard, but ultimately fell in the semifinals of the MSHSAA Volleyball Championships on Friday evening at the Show Me Center.
East Buchanan marched into Cape Girardeau on Friday on a high like no other, coming in with a 31-win season and an incredible comeback against Lone Jack in the quarterfinals, but the Bulldogs met a tough Jefferson team, falling in the state semifinals 3-0 (25-12, 25-11, 25-12).
While Head Coach of the Bulldogs, Ryan Horn, wishes his team would have played better, he knows Jefferson was a good team.
"They got quite a few girls going to play, and one of them is committed to D1 ball, it's just a really good team," Horn told reporters following the match. "I wish for our girls that we would have come out a little bit differently, we seemed a little timid for the moment and I wish we wouldn't have because I think we have more to show."
"I'm not saying we're better than that team, I just think we have more to show, didn't quite do it."
The match started quickly in Jefferson's favor. After starting 2-2 in the first set of the match, the Blue Jays got off on a quick 6-1 run before Horn called a timeout. The Bulldogs scored two points quickly out of the break, but Jefferson would halt that to score four more, forcing Horn into another timeout with the first set score at 12-5.
The Bulldogs would scratch and claw in the first set, scoring seven more points, but Jefferson never let them get into any extended runs, claiming the first set 25-12.
It was much the same story in the second set, as Jefferson got off on a quick 6-1 run again before Horn called a timeout, and would then outscore East Buchanan on an 8-2 run before Horn called another timeout with the set score at 14-3.
The biggest run the Bulldogs managed to get on in the second was a 4-0 run, but Jefferson would claim the second set, 25-11.
The Bulldogs came out with some fight though in the third set, taking an early lead, but Jefferson quickly fought back and took a 14-6 lead, forcing a Bulldogs timeout. The Bulldogs would never get back into it, falling 25-12 in the third.
East Buchanan was led in kills by seniors Maya Watkins and Brooklynn Adams with four each. Junior Kylie Clark led with 10 assists, while senior Libero Kinzie Woodside tallied seven digs.
The Bulldogs will now face Strafford in the third-place game Saturday at 2 p.m. Strafford fell to Hermann almost in similar fashion, falling in three sets (25-12, 25-12, 25-14).
Horn says to prepare his girls for such a quick turnaround, was reminding them that when you get to the Final Four, it's truly the only time you know it will be the last time you get to play.
"This is our last chance to play, and to sit around and sulk about what happened tonight, whether it be me or whether it be any of the girls, that's selfish we don't have time to do that," Horn says. "What we have time to do is go get a bite to eat and watch some more film on Strafford and try to get a win to end the career for the seniors."
"And get a win for the juniors, sophomores, and the freshman that are playing to come down here and have a chance to maybe prove that we belong here."
Regardless of the outcome Saturday though, Horn says he'll be no less proud of what his team accomplished this season.
"Yeah, I want to win games while we're down here and everything, but to accomplish the things they accomplished I'm proud of them regardless," Horn proudly says. "So, whatever we do here tomorrow I'm not going to be more or less proud of them, if we win tomorrow against Strafford, great, if we lose, ok, I'm still going to love them, I'm still going to care about them, and I'm still going to have all the memories of what we've been able to accomplish."
