North Callaway regained its confidence in the third set on Thursday, but it wasn’t enough to extend an historic season.
The Ladybirds lost in four sets (14-25, 20-25, 27-25, 16-25) to Linn …
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North Callaway regained its confidence in the third set on Thursday, but it wasn’t enough to extend an historic season.
The Ladybirds lost in four sets (14-25, 20-25, 27-25, 16-25) to Linn (21-7-3) in the Class 2 District 6 semifinals in Hermann, losing to the Lady Wildcats twice this season and for the second straight year in districts. North Callaway finished 18-11-3 to set a school record for wins in a season and earned its first Eastern Missouri Conference championship after finishing in a three-way tie with Centralia and Wright City.
North Callaway head coach Andrew Klein said he has so much respect for Linn after what it has accomplished this season without a senior in its ranks. He said the Ladybirds had a young team as well, with Rylee Horstman as their only senior, and it took some time to find their team from this season. Linn executed some blocks and service aces to win the first set easily before North Callaway played more competitive second and third sets, taking its first set against Linn in four meetings.
“That first set wasn’t really who we are,” Klein said. “The second and third set was more of a depiction of what our season has been like: playing a lot of close sets. We’re just mentally tough.”
North Callaway cut into its deficit in the second set 21-20 after Horstman, Alex Craighead and Ainsley Reinhard managed to put down kills. Linn closed the set with an ace that hit the net and then barely tumbled over.
The Ladybirds built a 22-16 lead in the third set after showcasing their blockers but then gave up their advantage. Rachelle Atterberry clinched the set with back-to-back aces after Klein said North Callaway showed more urgency with its back against the wall.
“Volleyball is so momentum-based,” Klein said. “It’s sometimes who can out-confidence the other team, especially when you have two talented teams like Linn and us. We’re very talented and comparable to them. When you hear your teammates backing you with the crowd, it gives you a ton of confidence on the court and that sometimes is all you need to make a play.”
Horstman led with eight kills and four aces in her final match as a Ladybird, Alex Craighead followed with seven kills, Peyton Boulware led with 30 digs, Lauren Pezold followed with 19 digs and Anna Shryock led with 10 total blocks, including six solo stuffs.
Shryock and Icey Tomlinson are both middle blockers who will return to North Callaway next season after having a big impact in this season’s finale. The Ladybirds tallied 17 blocks.
“Icey and Anna both were junior varsity middles last year, and there is a step up to varsity,” Klein said. “They understood that early on in the season that it’s a little different. They’d be the first to tell you that they had some growing pains, but we have two complete middles that go in there and get us blocks. They really came into shape and were a huge reason we won that third set.”
North Callaway had to return Linn’s serve before putting up a block, and it proved to be too difficult many times. Linn’s aces reached the double digits as Klein complimented the serving of Nicole Grellner and Kylie Goans.
“They both got some really tough serves,” Klein said. “Our errors were communication-based. We weren’t playing our seams and just weren’t talking enough. Every team wants to talk more and be better at that, but they’ve got some really challenging serves and hit it in spots. You’ve got to tip your cap to them.”
In North Callaway’s first conference championship season, it had the distinction of having the most all-conference players. Horstman and Pezold made the first team, and Boulware and Craighead earned second-team honors to give the Ladybirds one more representative than Wright City and two more than Centralia.
Horstman made the first team for the second straight season after being named second team as a sophomore. As she has improved as a player, North Callaway kept increasing its win total from 12 wins when Horstman was an underclassman to 14 wins as a junior and 18 wins in a senior season that was the first winning season for the program.
“She has been so consistent as a player, person and teammate,” Klein said. “No drama. It’s about volleyball, and it’s about the team. She’s been doing it for four straight years on varsity on that level — never once was a JV player and never should have been. She’s one of the best people I’ve ever coached.”
