BERNIE SWEEPS FARMINGTON FOR SEMO CLASSIC CROWN

That smacking sound -- the sound of skin hitting hardwood -- was the sound of points disappearing for Farmington in the championship match of the 11th Annual SEMO High School Volleyball Classic Saturday evening.

Bernie's hustling, diving defense subtracted points, and middle hitters Emily Moore and Pearline Gill added them, equating a 15-6, 15-6 victory for Bernie over Farmington in the title game of the 30-team tourney at the SEMO Rec Center.

Bernie (12-0) finished 8-0 in the tourney.

"What keeps us going is our defense," said outside hitter Nicole Wick, who made several defensive saves for the Lady Mules.

Farmington (7-1 in the tourney, 11-1 overall) took an early 5-2 lead, capitalizing on Bernie's inaccurate hitting in the early-going.

But after Jessica Silliman gained a sideout with a kill at 5-2, Bernie exploded for 11 unanswered points and never trailed again for the rest of the match.

Moore, Wick and Gill led the way to the first game victory for Bernie -- Moore with four kills, Wick with a pair of tough digs, an ace and a service winner and Gill with a kill and then a block on game point.

"We had to get it together (down 5-2)," Wick said. "Our defense played really well and we had some kills that got us going."

Bernie grabbed a 3-0 lead in the second game. Farmington closed to 3-2 on a spike by Lindsay Arand and a mishit by Bernie, but the Lady Mules reeled off five consecutive points to take control.

Farmington put together a brief late comeback attempt, but Bernie's strong defense put it down. At 10-6, Gill followed Wick's spectacular diving dig with a strong spike, launching Bernie on five-point run capped by Wick scoring two of the game's final three points on a spike and a dink to the center of the court.

"They had a really good defense," said Karie Detring, who led Farmington's offensive effort along with Arand and Alyson Mell. "It gets you kind of down when some of your better shots are saved."

Bernie, the 1997 Class 2A state runners up had last won the SEMO Classic in 1993. They played without hitter Sabrina Bolton, who is undergoing treatment for cancer.

"We never got overconfident. We put ourselves as underdogs," said Bernie setter Emilee Young. "(But) we thought after coming this far, we'd might as well win it."

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Jackson advanced to the semifinal round of the tourney, losing to Farmington 15-11, 15-9.

"Farmington tipped us a lot," Jackson coach Nancy Ellis said. "We were just tired after our win (in three games) over Leopold. Our feet just wouldn't move."

The Indians are off to a 9-1 start.

"We have an old team," Ellis said. "They work well together."

Cape Girardeau Central did not survive pool play.