North Callaway was able to take one set against Linn for the first time in four meetings, but its season ended on Thursday night.
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 to bring their final record to 18-11-3. North Callaway set a single-season school record in wins and earned its first Eastern Missouri Conference championship when it tied Centralia and Wright City for first. Rylee Horstman led with eight kills and four service 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. Horstman, Pezold, Boulware and Craighead each made the all-conference team to give North Callaway the most representatives.
North Callaway head coach Andrew Klein said North Callaway played with more urgency and confidence in the second and third sets after a slow first set. The Ladybirds cut their deficit in the second set to 21-20 and won the third set despite losing a 22-16 lead.
“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.”
Look for full story in the Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025 edition of the Mexico Ledger.
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