JACKSON -- Once The Mules got up to speed, there was no stopping them.
Poplar Bluff had a slow start in the MSHSAA Class 4 District 1 quarterfinals, but rallied and then cruised to beat Cape Central 26-24, 25-12 Monday at Jackson. The Mules advance to face top seed and host Jackson (25-8-2) at 5 p.m. Wednesday in the semifinals. Hillsboro (17-10-4) and Farmington (23-5-1) will play in the other semifinal at 6 p.m. with the district championship to follow at 7:30 p.m.
"It was a little slow tonight, we don't play very well in slow games. We play better in fast paced games, but I'm glad we pulled through and got the 'W'," Poplar Bluff senior Sophie Rowland said. "We just picked up our attitude, picked up play a little bit. When we speed up, we play better."
Nobody led by more than three points in Game 1.
Poplar Bluff (19-13) held onto a slim lead until Marisa Lanzotti got a block and then a kill to give Cape (15-16-2) a 16-15 lead. She later added a stuff on an overpass to put the Tigers ahead 20-17.
The Tigers reached match point at 24-22 after a Poplar Bluff serve went long.
Kiley Bess got a kill and followed that with a block against Macey Pauls to tie it.
After a Cape kill went long, Poplar Bluff's Haley Slaughter drilled a jump serve deep that went off the tips of Macy Embry's fingertips and out of bounds for the win.
"I'm sure they were a little nervous," Poplar Bluff coach Amanda Lance said. "They planned on being here Wednesday night, but the whole week, we knew we had to focus on this game instead of Wednesday. Sometimes I think we get a little nervous and then they just had a slow start. They were sluggish all around. Everything was a little bit slow. They weren't necessarily playing bad, we just couldn't get in our groove."
The Mules jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the second game, helped along by three Cape Central errors.
Khelie Spence got a kill to make it 12-5 Poplar Bluff before Cape Central had a short three-point rally to cut the lead to four points.
After some rally scoring, the Mules led 16-11, and then closed with a 9-1 run that featured three kills by Bess, who had seven kills, a block and an ace on the night.
"The second set, a whole different team showed up," Lance said.
Rowland picked up the match-winning kill.
"Any game now could potentially be my last game, so I have to play like I'm never going to play again," Rowland said. "I'm ready for (Jackson). We all are."
Spence matched her with seven kills and added two blocks.
With the win, Poplar Bluff went 3-0 against Cape Central this season, winning all three games 2-0. The Mules won at home on Senior night Oct. 15, and then beat Cape the next day in pool play in the SEMO Conference Tournament.
"It is really hard to beat a team three times, or even two times for that matter," Lance said. "We kind of new knew what to expect. Yesterday in practice we were practicing against Cape. So that does help when you know who you are playing."
The Mules are 0-3 against Jackson this season. They lost at Jackson 2-1 on Sept. 4, lost 2-0 in pool play in the SEMO tourney, and then lost 2-1 in the tournament semifinals.
"Jackson is a big rival. The girls play with more heart against Jackson than anybody," Lance said. "Keep the intensity up and we have to play clean volleyball."