HIGH SCHOOL: JACKSON VOLLEYBALL FALLS IN TITLE MATCH

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Jackson High School's volleyball team gave Farmington a major scare Thursday night, but in the end the top-seeded Knightettes were simply too much for the second-seeded Lady Indians in the championship match of the Class 4A, District 1 Tournament.

A huge second-set rally by Jackson pushed Farmington to the three-set limit, but the host Knightettes captured their second straight district title with a 15-7, 12-15, 15-7 victory.

Farmington will take a 29-2-1 record into Saturday's four-team sectional at Seckman. Jackson finishes another impressive season with a 22-9-2 mark.

"Jackson was tough. We knew they would be," said Farmington standout hitter Lisa Boyd, who will play for the University of Missouri next season. "They took us to three games the first time we played them (during the regular season) and we knew they'd come out after us. We just wanted to be ready for it."

Farmington -- and Boyd -- appeared more than ready at the start as the 6-foot-1 senior's 13 kills helped propel the Knightettes to a routine 15-7 victory in the first set.

The Knightettes appeared to be cruising to a lopsided sweep when they opened up a 10-2 lead in the second set.

But that's when Jackson woke up. The Lady Indians put on a huge rally, first pulling to within 10-8. A Boyd kill pushed Farmington back up 11-8, but a kill by Jackson's Andrea Koeper boosted the Lady Indians into an 11-11 tie.

After several side outs by both teams, a Farmington error allowed Jackson to go up 12-11. It was the Lady Indians' first lead of the night since they scored the match's initial point and had their fans in a frenzy.

A Boyd ace made it 12-12, but Jennifer Mesey's kill-block gave the Lady Indians the lead for good at 13-12. A Mesey kill made it 14-12 and Koeper's kill ended the set at 15-12.

"We had a great comeback (in the second set)," said Jackson coach Nancy Ellis. "That says a lot about our team."

But Farmington showed its talent in the third and deciding set by bolting to leads of 4-0 and 9-2. Jackson managed to pull within 9-7, but the Knightettes scored the final six points to close out the match with at 15-7.

"We had a tough match with them the last time and we expected it tonight," said Farmington coach Carma Franklin. "Lisa is such a player and we've got other girls that also are very good."

Boyd, displaying plenty of power and finesse, wound up with 25 kills. She was satisfied with her team's performance -- to a point.

"We had a little spot there in the second game," she said, then added with a smile, "I guess we just wanted to give the fans their money's worth."

While Boyd was dominant, she got plenty of help as Katie Roark and Tamera Richardet added 10 and nine kills, respectively. Setter Kelly Roark dished out 38 assists.

Koeper, Jackson's senior standout, nearly matched Boyd offensively as she had 18 kills and five blocks.

Mesey had six kills, nine blocks and 11 digs while Jenna Leet contributed seven kills and 12 digs. Erin Hartmann and Jessica Koeper led the way in assists with 16 and 13, respectively.

"Farmington is a good team. They had all seniors on the floor (actually four of six Knightette starters are seniors) and we're young (Andrea Koeper is Jackson's only senior starter). At times I think it showed," Ellis said. "Overall, we did well. We got into a hole in each game, but we played slow at the beginning of each game all year."

Earlier Thursday, in the semifinals, both teams romped. Farmington beat fifth-seeded Hillsboro 15-6, 15-4 while Jackson downed third-seeded Sikeston 15-2, 15-11.

Against Sikeston, Andrea Koeper had seven kills and seven digs; Leet had eight blocks and 10 digs; Hartmann dished out 13 assists; Jessica Koeper recorded eight assists; and Kacie Crites added six blocks.