Zizzer volleyball hosts Showdown Tournament, places second

All in all, it was a good day of volleyball for West Plains. 

 

The Zizzers played six different teams in six different matches in a long day at the Showdown Tournament at the West Plains Civic Center last Saturday, September 14.

 

West Plains played their first match at 9:00 a.m. and was still playing volleyball at 6:45 p.m.

 

Fifteen teams from Missouri and one from Arkansas competed in a tournament that was structured like club volleyball. Teams were grouped in pools of four and in the morning played every other team in their pool.

 

West Plains was the clear winner of their pool with wins against Class 2 Licking, Class 3 Doniphan, and the talented Class 2 El Dorado Springs who entered the tournament with a 10-0 record. Leading the way was the dynamic net play of Middle Hitter, Mylea Adams.

 

The Zizzers advanced to the Gold Bracket of play and defeated Class 5 Rolla in two sets.

 

West Plains was able to hold off the reigning Class 3 State Champions Blair Oaks and won in two sets. The Zizzers were led by the consistent serving of team captains, Lily Wiedemann and Lucy Hafer.

 

By 6:00 p.m., the Zizzers faced their new Ozark Mountain Conference rival, State-ranked Marshfield (#5 in Class 4) in the championship match. West Plains won the first set, but Marshfield was able to capture the momentum and won the final two sets to win the entire tournament.

 

“We had that second set won, but just let up at the very end and weren’t aggressive enough at the net. That allowed Marshfield to get back in it and take the third set too,” said Zizzer Head Coach Hailey Beazley.

The Zizzers ended the tournament day with 5 wins and 1 loss. Two Zizzer players were named to the All–Tournament Team: Lily Wiedemann and Mylea Adams.

 

Lily Wiedemann, one of two seniors on the team, does it all for the Zizzers as a six-rotation player. She is especially impressive as a back row spiker.

 

Mylea Adams, a junior, dominates the net with power both in blocking and hitting. A gifted athlete, she routinely out jumps taller opponents.

 

The Zizzers advance to a 8-3 record. They face Poplar Bluff and Rolla this week in regular games. Next Saturday, September 21, West Plains will host a Quad Tournament against Mountain Grove, Sullivan, and Southern Boone.