North Callaway had an advantage in the first set of Tuesday's district match with Linn before it all slipped away.
The Ladybirds led for a majority of the first set in the Class 2 District 6 tournament first round until Linn fought back to tie at 18. The Lady Wildcats, who defeated the Ladybirds twice this season and last year in districts, then overcame another slight advantage by North Callaway to win the set 25-22 and then sweep the Ladybirds with second- and third-set scores of 25-10 and 25-11. Senior Bailey Hill picked up back-to-back blocks to give North Callaway a 22-18 lead in the first set, and then Linn won the final seven points. Linn (21-6-2) went on a 10-0 early in the second set and then an 8-1 run early in the third set, backed by 13 service aces in the match. Hill finished with seven blocks, fellow senior Avis Endres had three kills and Lauren Pezold had two aces.
North Callaway finishes the season 14-14-2, setting a new school record with 14 wins and improving its winning percentage for the fourth straight season.
Look for the full story Thursday on the Mexico Ledger website.
