BERNIE -- Advance and Bernie will face off for the MSHSAA Class 1 District 2 title for a fourth straight year after the teams played extremely aggressive to earn semifinal wins Monday.
The Hornets beat the Oran Lady Eagles in two sets, 25-8, 25-11, and Bernie did the same in beating the Campbell Lady Camels 25-21, 25-17.
Advance (26-6-1), the top seed and defending champions, will face the host Mules (17-14-2) at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The Hornets started off their game with an aggressive approach toward the Eagles pulling out a three-point lead within minutes that included a kill by Alyssa Miles, assisted by Alanis Below, and an ace from Addie Curtis. The Eagles managed to score a point but couldn't keep the momentum going and allowed the Hornets to score another four consecutive points. The Eagles, trailing 7-1, then called for a timeout.
After the break, the Eagles (16-11-1) managed to score another point from a Hornet error but the Hornets would not back down and scored five consecutive points produced by Below and Curtis.
After another error from the Hornets, the Eagles managed to get in a back-in-forth battle with the Hornets but the Eagles could not catch up to the Hornets. With a kill from Nyah Wilson, two kills from Roz Schrader, two kills from Raylee Metcalf, and a kill from Curtis, the Hornets won the first set 25-8.
To start the next set, the Eagles jumped up their game and fought to win the second set. Both teams traded points at the beginning up to the point of a tie at 6-6.
"We started to get sloppy," Schrader explained. "We were lacking communication, which allowed them really stay on us, but once we started talking, we pushed ahead."
The Hornets then took an aggressive approach toward the Eagles and scored three points produced by Curtis and Miles. The Hornets continued to widen their lead and pulled in six more points with little resistance, which were brought in by Wilson, Curtis, Metcalf, to go ahead 15-9.
The Eagles' morale instantly dropped and the Hornets finished up the game with a kill from Miles, three kills from Below, two kills from Metcalf, a kill from Wilson, a kill from Curtis, and to finish the match, an ace from Ashtyn Driskill.
Bernie did not have such an easy time as the Hornets did. The Mules had a rough start against the Camels and allowed the Camels to score three points right at the beginning. The Mules responded with three points, also, which tied the game 3-3.
Then a point-by-point battle broke out between the Mules and the Camels. Neither team could pull a two point lead on the other up until Cymber Arnold scored two kills to put the Mules ahead 10-8. The Camels did not let this lead last long and came back with three points tying the game at 11.
The intensity could be felt amongst the crowd as each hit brought a cheer from the stands.
As the set continued, the point-by-point battle continued between the Mules and the Camels. Both teams tied the score six times before another lead could be made.
"We were having some problems trying to get ahead," Logan Mayberry said.
The Mules took the lead for good with three straight points, produced by Arnold, Ryleigh Foster, and Taylor Lovelady, to go ahead 21-19. This lead gave the Mules the advantage to bring home the win in the first set with little resistance, 25-21.
"Once we started to play as a team we brought the game back in our favor." Mayberry explained.
Jumping into the second set, the Mules played hard right at the beginning and pushed through the ease. Arnold, Mayberry, and Lovelady scored multiple points to allow the Mules to have a lead of 5-1.
The Camels (17-8-6) managed to score five more points to close in and tie the game 6-6 but the Mules rallied and pulled in four points: two kills by Mayberry and two aces by Taylor Anthony. In attempt to catch back up the Mules, the Camels scored three points but still could not take the lead.
The Mules then started to get the ball rolling and scored six consecutive points from Madison Worldridge, Arnold, Foster, and Anthony.
This lead dropped the Camels morale and they could not bring back the points quick enough to win the game. The Mules climbed the score board quickly with two aces and a kill from Lovelady, a kill from Anthony, a kill from Arnold, and two kill from Mayberry.