Pool play recap: Leopold volleyball secures spot in Class 1 final

Leopold and defending state champion Winona faced off in a preview of the Class 1 title game during pool play on Friday at the Show Me Center.

Leopold lost its only games of pool play 25-16, 25-17 to Winona and finished with a 4-2 game record.

The teams will meet at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Show Me Center for the state championship.

Winona jumped out to a 7-2 lead before Leopold took a timeout. Winona had two aces and middle hitter Rachel Holthaus had three of her 16 kills during that stretch.

Leopold cut the lead to 12-8 on a kill by junior Bailee Cope but would never get any closer to catching Winona.

Leopold didn't allow Winona to create a big lead to start the second set. Winona scored first on a hitting error by Cope, but Cope and junior Caitlin Petty responded with back-to-back kills to take a 2-1 lead -- Leopold's only lead of the game.

Leopold tied the game at 8 with a kill by Cope, but four straight points by Winona led to another Leopold timeout.

Winona outscored Leopold 13-8 to finish out the game.

Petty finished with 11 kills and Cope had six. Sydney Eeftink had 15 assists.

Holthaus and Nola McAfee had all of Winona's 24 kills. Holthaus hit .640 in the match and McAfee hit .533 with eight kills.

McAfee had 14 assists and Holthaus had seven.

Winona finished the day at 5-1, with its only loss coming to Santa Fe. Santa Fe (2-4) and Osceola (1-5) will compete in the Class 1 third-place game at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

Leopold booked its spot in the title game with a match to play after sweeping Santa Fe and Osceola to start the day.

The games couldn't have been any closer between Leopold and Santa Fe in both team's first match of pool play.

The Wildcats' got off to a rough start in the first game with a lift call on the first play -- something that happened pretty frequently in the match.

Leopold celebrates their 27-25 win in the second set of over their Santa Fe Chiefs during the second set of pool play in the Class 1 Volleyball Final Four Friday, Nov. 8. The Wildcats won both sets against the Chiefs. (Adam Vogler)

With the game tied 6-6, Leopold went on a 7-3 run that resulted in a Santa Fe timeout and featured two kills from junior Bailee Cope and a two kills from junior Caitlin Petty.

A serve error by senior Denai Arnzen followed the timeout, and the Wildcats recorded two kills before a serve error and three kills from Santa Fe's Kylie Limback cut Leopold's lead to 15-14 and forced a Leopold timeout.

A kill from Petty and a hitting error by Limback gave the Wildcats a 17-14 lead, but Limback responded with two kills and a Santa Fe block tied the game at 17.

The game was tied up again at 20 and 23 before a kill and block by Petty ended the game.

Two Santa Fe hitting errors and a kill of an overpass by Petty gave the Wildcats a 3-0 lead to start the second game.

There would be four ties in the game before Leopold took a timeout at 13-13.

Errors by the Wildcats allowed the Chiefs to take a 20-16 lead before Leopold coach Sandy Davis called another timeout.

Leopold went on a 4-1 run with two kills by Cope and a lift and hitting error on Santa Fe to pull within one point at 21-20.

Following a Santa Fe timeout an ace by Leah Landewee tied the game at 21. The two teams traded points and were tied four more times before an ace by Emily Seiler and a kill by Petty resulted in the Leopold win.

Petty and Cope led the Wildcats' offense with 11 kills apiece. Ashlyn Bucher had seven kills for Leopold.

Sydney Eeftink had 20 assists.

Leopold had eight aces in the match. Cope had three and Seiler had two.

Limback led the Chiefs with 10 kills and Alexis Smith finished with seven.

The first game between Leopold and Osceola started out close and was tied at 10 before Leopold went on a 6-0 run using two Osceola hitting errors and two kills from Bailee Cope.

Following an Osceola timeout, Leopold went on a 9-3 run, ending the game with an ace by Denai Arnzen. Cope had two of her three aces in that stretch.

The Wildcats opened up the second game with a 4-0 run during which Caitlin Petty had three kills and a block with Emily Seiler.

Osceola chipped away at the lead with the help of a Leopold serve error and hitting error and tied it 4-4.

The Indians tied it up at 14, but hitting errors and a kill by Petty put Leopold ahead 18-14 and Osceola took a timeout.

Leopold outscored the Indians 7-4 after the timeout to win the game.

Petty hit an efficient .588 in the game with 11 kills. Cope had seven kills, Ashlyn Bucher had five and Arnzen had four.

Sydney Eeftink finished with 15 assists. Leah Landewee had eight digs and Arnzen had six.

Osceola's Brooke Wilson had five of her team's 11 kills.

An updated version of this story, complete with quotes from participants, will be posted later Friday