FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Jesse Miller thwarted Poplar Bluff's third-set comeback as Farmington once again rallied to end the Mules' season Monday night.
The Knights scored consecutive points starting with a kill by Miller after seeing their 23-18 lead disappear to edge Poplar Bluff 20-25, 25-19, 25-23 in the MSHSAA Class 4 District 1 semifinal.
"It's not districts if we don't go three sets with Farmington," Mules coach Amanda Lance said. "We expected it but we didn't give up. We made it a game. We got down that third set (but) we fought back."
The Mules (21-12-1) became the fifth straight No. 2 seed to fall in the semifinal and lost to Farmington for a ninth straight time in the playoffs after snapping a 21-match losing streak against the Knights earlier this season by rallying from a 23-15 first-set deficit.
Poplar Bluff's comeback Monday at the new Black Knight Fieldhouse ended an emotional day for the Mules. It started before school with a prayer vigil for their fellow students who died Saturday night in a car accident.
"It was a very tough day for the kids at school," Lance said.
The team also wore ribbons to honor Linda Schulz, Camille McCain and Cody Logan and one for Martez Janis, who is recovering in a Memphis hospital.
"We played for them, but it didn't turn out our way," senior Hannah Vaughn said.
Added senior Doni Everts, "We put it all out there on the floor, so we can't say we didn't play for them."
The stands behind the Mules were eerily empty while the host Knights had a loud student section behind them, some dressed up in costumes.
Farmington (23-11), which will face top-seeded Jackson (27-8-2) in the championship match Wednesday, scored the first five points of the decisive third set.
Lance called her first time out and the Mules never trailed by more than five as the teams traded 11 points. Poplar Bluff rallied with a 7-2 run to pull even starting with an attack error by Miller before Sophie Rowland's cross-court spike followed a diving dig by libero Ady Kingree.
Kiley Bess, who had a team-high nine kills, tied at 14-all and again at 15.
Farmington senior DeShay Tate broke a 16-all tie with a block on the left side and Miller's dump landed just inside the back line to start a 6-2 run.
Miller led Farmington with 19 kills, 11 in the decisive third set including four in the late push to a 23-18 lead.
"We kind of been that way all year," Lance said. "We have our low points but they never give up. They are such a good group of kids. They never, ever give up.
"They get along, they work hard together, they never give up, they never stop trying, so you can never count us out."
Bess started the rally with a kill and Khelie Spence followed with one of her seven after the Mules dug up a spike by Miller. The Knights committed a pair of errors before a block by Bess tied it at 23-all.
Miller's spike landed inside the back line but the sideout rotated her to serve for match point. The Mules returned the serve and a spike by Jordyn Harris clipped the top of the net but Haley Slaughter's diving dig bounced off the face of Bess.
"When it's that close at the end it's going to fall either way," Lance said. "It could have very easily fell our way as it fell their way."
The Mules scored the first four points of the match to open with a 13-3 run. They led by 11 before Farmington put together an 8-1 swing but Spence answered with a big spike in the middle and the teams traded the next six points.
The Knights rallied with a late 7-2 run to get within 23-20 on a cross-court kill by Miller, but Spence's right-side attack gave the Mules set point before a Farmington spike fell out of bounds.
The second set opened with three early ties before a 5-1 run by Farmington for a 9-5 advantage. The Mules got within 10-9 but Harris answered with a kill in the middle that started a 6-1 run. Poplar Bluff rallied with a 6-2 run ending with consecutive blocks by Bess and Everts to get within 18-16 but the Knights scored the next three points.
Up 21-18, Farmington got a kill by senior libero Emily Grief. Blair Busenbark later ended a long rally with a cross-court spike for a 23-19 lead and had another for set point.
"I told them to dwell on the season, not the last game because we had such a good season," said Vaughn who ended her career with several team records.
Poplar Bluff finished with 21 wins for the first time since 2014, which also ended with a loss to the Knights. Farmington beat the Mules in three sets in the district final last year.
Vaughn's 26 assists gave her over 1,700 for her career while two aces gave her 150. The senior had 17 digs and three kills in her final match.
Everts, who led the team in blocking with 44 this season, had five kills and three blocks.
Spence also had three blocks while Bess had 3.5. Rowland had six kills and didn't miss a serve as the Mules were 93.9 percent accurate behind the line.
"I'm proud of them," Lance said. "Especially with everything they went through the last couple of days. For them to get out there and play that hard, I'm very proud of them."