AREA HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL TEAMS PREPARE FOR DISTRICTS

Lofty numbers, namely a record of 27-2-2 and a No. 1 seed, bring certain expectations, namely the Class 4A, District 1 title.

But Jackson High volleyball coach Nancy Ellis isn't expecting a cakewalk. Last season her favored Lady Indians were surprised by Poplar Bluff in the district championship match.

"This is a good district," Ellis said. "Four teams are above .500, so we can't look past anyone.

"But our girls are playing well, and if they play as a team we have a good chance."

Jackson will meet either North County or Sikeston Wednesday at 5 at North County High School in Bonne Terre. The Lady Indians have yet to play North County this season and have beaten Sikeston twice in as many tries.

Farmington, the No. 2 seed, will face either Poplar Bluff or Cape Girardeau Central Wednesday at 6:30.

If Jackson meets Farmington as expected in the title match Wednesday at 8, the showdown will serve as a rubber match. Farmington topped Jackson in the semifinals of the SEMO Tournament before falling handily in the two teams' regular season bout.

"That was one of the best games we've had this year," Ellis said.

Class 3A

Festus, St. Pius, Ste. Genevieve and Park Hills are the top four seeds in the District 2 tournament in Perryville. The host Lady Pirates are the No. 5 seed and will meet Park Hills Central Monday at 6 in their opening-round match.

Perryville coach Tim Steffens, whose team is 11-14-2, said he hasn't seen Park Hills play this season but believes his team can win the match. But if the Lady Pirates do win, the next match would be against Festus Tuesday at 5, and "Festus is one the of the better teams around," Steffens said.

"They beat us pretty soundly" in the regular season, Steffens added, and "it would take a major upset to beat them."

The championship match will be played Tuesday at 7:30.

Class 2A

The top three seeded teams in the District 3 tournament at Clearwater High School in Ellington appear to be evenly matched. Clearwater is the top seed, followed by Woodland and defending district champion Notre Dame.

Notre Dame split its match, 12-15, 15-12, against Clearwater in the SEMO Tournament this season. And the Lady Bulldogs beat Woodland in three games in a regular season matchup but Notre Dame coach Janet Buchheit said Woodland was without a key player.

But Notre Dame (14-12-2) must first defeat Greenville, the No. 6 seed, in the opening round Monday at 6. A win in that match would set up Tuesday's 7 p.m. semifinal contest between Notre Dame and Woodland.

"I think it could go either way," Buchheit said.

The championship match is set for Wednesday at 8:15.

In the District 2 tournament at Bloomfield, the host is the top seed. Bloomfield is followed by Twin Rivers, Scott City, Chaffee, Malden and Charleston.

Chaffee meets Malden Monday at 4, followed by Scott City and Charleston at 5:15. After semifinal matches at 6:30 and 7:45 Wednesday, the championship match will follow at 9.

Class 1A

Meadow Heights and Ste. Genevieve Valle are the top two seeds in the District 4 tournament at Valle. Leopold, the defending state champion, is the No. 3 seed, followed by St. Vincent, Oak Ridge, Marquand and Kingston.

Leopold coach Leanne Huffman said she hasn't seen Valle play this season, and her Lady Wildcats have swapped wins with Meadow Heights.

Meadow Heights is 21-6 and Leopold, which has endured "some rough spots," Huffman said, is 16-10-1.

Leopold will meet Marquand Tuesday at 6:15. Meadow Heights, which received a bye, will face either St. Vincent or Oak Ridge Wednesday at 5. The other semifinal match will be played at 6:15 and the championship tilt is set for 8.

In the District 2 tournament at Zalma, Bernie, which is 32-1, clearly is the favorite. Bell City is seeded No. 2, followed by Zalma, Richland, Advance, Risco and Oran.

Bell City is 17-9. Bernie, long a Class 2A powerhouse, is playing its first season in Class 1A. "Bernie's got us outclassed," said Bell City coach Carl Ritter. "They've got a solid team and it would take a very good effort to beat them. But we're looking forward to it."

Semifinal matches are set for Tuesday at 5:30 and 6:45. The title match will be played at 8:30.