4 observations from Missouri girls volleyball playoffs

1. Don’t sleep on Eureka

A perennial state power for most of the last decade, Eureka slipped out of the STLhighschoolsports.com large school rankings while a young, but talented, roster struggled early this season.

The Wildcats are roaring now.

After a 1-5 start, Eureka (22-14) has won 10 of its last 13 matches and has climbed back to No. 7 in the rankings. The Wildcats found their game in the Gateway Matchup Tournament in late September, going 4-1 in the tournament.

Since then, the Wildcats have notched wins over top 10 teams Parkway West, St. Dominic and Marquette.

Jenna Cubbage (4.33 kills) is the go-to attacking option, while Katie Hunt (1.82 kills), Hannah Garrett (1.66 kills), Caroline Tenholder (1.59 kills) and Amanda Hine (1.04 kills) round out a versatile offense.

Eureka knocked off Marquette to advance to the Class 5 District 2 championship against two-time state champion Lafayette on Tuesday. The Lancers beat the Wildcats in four sets on September 11, but that was before the midseason turnaround.

2. Jefferson R-7 earns anticipated rematch

The top-seeded Blue Jays dominated the field in Class 2 District 4, one of the few district tournaments that have already been completed.

Jefferson (19-8) beat Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience 25-5, 25-9, 25-7 in the semifinals and swept host Lift for Life 25-13, 25-6, 25-15 in the championship match Friday. Megan Wood blasted 15 kills and Ryleigh Johnson added eight, while Halayna Loyd recorded 21 assists for Jefferson in the championship match.

Jefferson advanced to the Class 2 sectionals, where a potential rematch Thursday against Arcadia Valley awaits. Arcadia Valley ended Jefferson’s season last year in the district championship match before going on to finish fourth at state. The Blue Jays swept the Tigers in a regular-season contest on September 26.

Arcadia Valley is the top seed in District 3 and plays No. 2 seed West County for its district championship on Tuesday night.

3. End of a killer career

Pattonville’s loss to Westminster in the Class 5 District 3 semifinals marked the end of a stellar career for Reagan Nelson, who leaves as the state’s all-time kills leader according to Missouri State High School Activities Association records.

Nelson, who leads all area attackers averaging a whopping 7.51 kills a set, set the mark in the Pirates’ win over Kirkwood on October 16 with a 42-kill effort in the four-set match, leaving her at 2,070 career kills. Nelson’s final kills number was unavailable as of press time but are sure to climb after the Pirates’ season ending stats are finalized.

Lesterville’s Reese Gray had the previous high mark of 2,056 set from 2019-2022. Nelson, who is heading to Southeast Missouri State, and Gray are the only two players in Missouri history with more than 2,000 career kills.

4. MICDS wins first district title

The Rams continued their best season in a decade by sweeping Villa Duchesne 25-20, 25-16, 25-21 in the Class 3 District 5 championship match on Friday. It is the first district volleyball championship for the Rams, according to MSHSAA records.

May Durill had 21 kills and Izzy Chao banged home 14 more for MICDS (21-9) against the Saints. Sarah Mills had 34 assists.

Durill and Chao have been a potent one-two attack punch all season for the Rams averaging 4.15 kills and 2.83 kills, respectively.

It is the first winning season since 2016 for MICDS and the most wins in a season since posting a 19-10-1 record in 2014.

MICDS will play either Winfield or Veritas Christian Academy, which will play each other for the District 6 title on Monday, in the sectionals on Thursday. The Rams will enter the contest having won of eight of their last nine matches.