Arcadia Valley Wins Class 2 District 3 Volleyball Championship Over Jefferson
(FESTUS) The Class 2 District 3 volleyball semifinals and championship took place Wednesday night at Jefferson R-7 with Arcadia Valley earning a 2 sets to none win over the Jefferson Blue Jays. Coverage on KJFF and KREI began with the first semifinal match where 1-seed Arcadia Valley topped 4th-seed St. Vincent 25-9 and 25-20.
The second semifinal game featured 2nd-seed Jefferson and defending Class 2 state champion and 3-seed St. Pius. The Lancers actually led set 1, 12-11, before the Blue Jays won 14 of the last 22 points to take the set, 25-20. Set 2 came down to the wire after a furious late set rally by the Lancers, which saw them trail 18-8 and 21-13 at one point.
With St. Pius having a chance to tie set 2 at 24-24, the Blue Jays stuck together and prevailed in a near one-minute match-point rally. Here’s the call halfway through the rally.
That last point gave the Blue Jays the 25-23, set 2 win, serving as the first-ever victory for Jefferson over St. Pius in Blue Jays volleyball history. Then came the Arcadia Valley Tigers a little more than 45 minutes later in the Class 2, District 3 championship game.
The Tigers won set one 25-18 over Jefferson on a successful kill attempt by Kirsten Day. Then set 2 went Arcadia Valley’s way, 25-11, with a block at the net as the final point of the night.
The two sets to none win for Arcadia Valley gives the Tigers their second Class 3 District 2 championship since 2015 and also win number 28 of the season, the highest mark in school history. Jefferson’s season ends at 30-7, the most wins the Blue Jays have had in a single-season in their young history.
Blue Jays head coach Tara Fish told the girls in the locker room afterward that this season was nothing to hang their heads about.
Arcadia Valley head coach Tara Lamb says her girls were ready for the challenge of a very tough Blue Jays side.
Arcadia Valley advances to the Class 2 Sectionals on Saturday in Malden where they wait on the District 4 winner which will be decided Thursday evening.
Semifinal 1: Arcadia Valley vs St. Vincent
Semifinal 2: Jefferson vs St. Pius
Championship Game: Arcadia Valley vs Jefferson