Lee’s Summit West, O’Hara advance to Missouri state volleyball tournaments

There was just one team Lee’s Summit West wanted to meet again on the volleyball court: the Blue Springs Wildcats, the team responsible for its only loss all season.

So on Saturday, the perfect scenario played out for the Titans. They advanced to the Class 4 sectional championship as well as Blue Springs. But only one would leave the court with a ticket to the state playoffs.

“We wanted to play them so badly,” senior Kelsey Piepergerdes said. “We’ve been talking about it all week. We wanted to show them who we really are.”

Lee’s Summit West, 35-1, did just that, avenging a September tournament loss to the Wildcats and taking the sectional championship in straight games, 25-17, 25-22.

After playing a match described by Blue Springs coach Katie Grusing as one of the best defensive performances she’s seen, the reigning state champion Titans now advance to the semifinal round against Springfield Glendale next Friday at Municipal Auditorium.

“Just when we thought we were hitting it where they weren’t, there they were,” Grusing said. “Some of those rallies … wow!”

Piepergerdes led the Titans with 14 digs ahead of senior Jess Kopp’s dozen.

O’Hara best in Class 3 O’Hara, the Class 3 reigning champs, will also make the trip to Municipal after surviving its sectional Saturday night.

The Celtics, 30-4-4, needed to recover from a three-game win over Platte County before defeating Holden 25-21, 25-17 in the final round.

Coach Lori Hanaway, already one of the most prolific volleyball coaches in state history, seeks her sixth state championship in seven years. With this success, the Celtics have played in the crosshairs all season.

“We’ve had a target on our back,” Hanaway said. “I felt we were fighting ourselves a little bit (on Saturday) but we just had people make plays.”

O’Hara meets Logan-Rogersville in the Class 3 semis next Friday.

submitted by CANDACE BUCKNER - 2008-11-01 22:30:02

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