Bloomfield volleyball team puts an end to Saxony's crusade

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- After staving off a comeback in the second set, momentum resided with the Saxony Lutheran Crusaders, who found themselves one set away from claiming the school's first district championship.

However, momentum had other plans.

The Bloomfield Wildcats took a 5-4 lead in the tie-breaking final set and used momentum to distance themselves from Saxony.

Junior Katie Tippen served up an ace for the final point as the top-seeded Wildcats claimed their first district title since 2011, defeating the third-seeded Crusaders 25-20, 23-25, 25-13 in the Class 2 District 2 championship Tuesday at Bloomfield High School.

"You could really feel it," Tippen said about the shift in momentum. "It was kind of slow at first, and then we just came together. We were talking about how we just needed that momentum and that we needed to get excited, and we finally did that."

Saxony (16-15-5) never trailed in the second set and took a 15-6 lead on an ace from junior Jordan Hecht, forcing Bloomfield (21-11-2) to take a timeout.

"We talked a lot in the last two weeks about just maintaining our composure," Saxony coach Julie Brandmeyer said. "Our girls do a good job of maintaining their composure, and I thought they did a good job in the first and second set of doing that."

The Wildcats continued to apply pressure and got within one point at 23-22, but the Crusaders scored the final two points, and junior Raegan Wieser closed out the set with a kill to tie the match at a set apiece.

"I think we gave up for a little bit. We thought we had it won, and Saxony came out and played really hard," Bloomfield coach Sherilyn Long said. "We had a little bit of miscommunication on the court, but we got it worked out and that's what good teams do."

Wieser led Saxony with 10 kills, four blocks and two aces. The 5-foot-10 Wieser is left-handed, which Brandmeyer said has been valuable for her team on the right side all season.

"She's a big part of our offense, and our setters late in the season really did a good job of really trying to distribute the ball evenly," Brandmeyer said. "When she's on that right side, we're able to spread out that antenna and make their blockers move side to side, so that's part of the reason why she's so successful for us.

"It's a team effort on that. Our setters are getting the ball and our passers are getting it to our setters. We need to be in our system to get Raegan involved, so with the amount of tips that she's getting late in the season, we know that we're doing a pretty good job defensively."

There were five lead changes and seven ties in the first set until Bloomfield went on an 8-3 run to close out the Crusaders and take the first set.

"I knew we were going to go three games. I just knew it in my heart coming in," Brandmeyer said. "I knew that we were pretty evenly matched. I know that Bloomfield has a lot of offensive threats, especially with Lindsey Young, who did a great job tonight. They're coached very well. We knew it would be a good test for our program and for our team."

Young tallied 11 kills in the win, while teammate Chelsea Delay finished with 12. The Wildcats often opted to tip the ball rather than spike, which Long said was part of the team's gameplan.

"We had to throw off their defense, and we had to hit it. We had to be aggressive and keep their defense on their toes, and that's what we did," Long said. "Every time that we let up and weren't as aggressive at the net is when we got down, but that's what our strength is. We've got to attack."

Despite taking a 2-0 lead in the decisive final set, a multitude of unforced errors prevented the Crusaders from staying within reach.

"I think that we just became a little hesitant on our swings. We changed our arm swing a little bit and hit a couple balls out of bounds, and that's just part of it," Brandmeyer said. "They're kids in a pressure situation, and they're doing the best that they can. I'm super proud of them."

With each point, the Bloomfield student section grew louder and louder, which Long believes helped the Wildcats regain momentum in the final set.

"They were talking about teamwork and how we've got to play as a team. We've got to get excited. It doesn't matter who gets the point or whether or not we make a mistake or force an error," Long said. "We had to get our pep club involved because we feed off of our pep club so much. We're very happy to have them here and to have them at all."

Junior Brianna Mueller added 17 assists, 14 digs and seven kills for Saxony, while Hecht finished with eight kills and libero Abby Bergman contributed 18 digs.

Despite the loss, Brandmeyer believes there was plenty for the Crusaders to take away from the experience.

Prior to Tuesday night, Saxony had never competed for a district crown.

"For our seniors to help lead the way and break through that, I couldn't be more proud," Brandmeyer said. "We're excited to continue to build this program."