Pleasant Hill earns spot in Class 3 volleyball championship match

When the Pleasant Hill volleyball team was forced to settle for third-place at the MSHSAA Volleyball Championships a year ago, a group that knew it would return everyone on the court took some lessons to heart.

On Friday the Chicks (36-2-2) used those lessons and earned some redemption, as they bounced back from an opening-match tie to sweep the rest of pool play at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau, earning a spot in the Class 3 championship match against Lutheran South at 4:30 p.m. Saturday

Pleasant Hill tied Lutheran South 25-13 and 22-25, then took all the sets from St. Francis Borgia (25-18, 25-20) and Logan-Rogersville (28-26, 25-19).

“We just learned to relax and go in and play our game,” Pleasant Hill senior setter Josey Pate said.

Logan Gish had 23 kills in pool play for Pleasant Hill, while Courtney Wesemann finished with 30 digs. Pate posted 42 assists.

“(The emotions) are everywhere,” Pate said. “It’s crazy. Just knowing that you have it — it’s so close. This year it’s for everything, the top.”

After splitting the opening match of pool play, Pleasant Hill got the big sweep it needed by winning two tight games against Borgia before topping Logan-Rogersville — already eliminated from championship contention — in the finale.

“Our second match (versus Borgia),” Pate said of the turning point. “Going in and winning two was awesome. It was definitely what we needed.”

Against the Knights, Pleasant Hill drew away late to take the opening set 25-18, despite a .028 hitting percentage and just six kills. An 8-1 swing midway through the second set got the Chicks a much-needed 25-20 set victory.

Pate had 16 assists in the match, while Paige Johnson and Wesemann had nine digs apiece.

In a first-match preview of Saturday’s state-title contest, Pleasant Hill took the first set over Lutheran South convincingly, only to let the second game get away. Gish led the way with nine kills on 19 total attacks.

In its final contest of the day — with little on the line against the Wildcats thanks to Lutheran South’s first-set victory over Borgia in a concurrent match — the Chicks got a big effort from Abby Welther with 10 kills and Anastasia Hanes with 11. Pate pitched in with 17 assists, while Olivia Ferdig added 15.

St. Francis Borgia and Logan-Rogersville will play in the Class 3 third-place game at 3 p.m.

This story was originally published October 28, 2016 at 10:23 PM with the headline "Pleasant Hill earns spot in Class 3 volleyball championship match."