Volleyball season tips off with Woodland WIT

For most of the smaller schools in the Southeast Missouri area, the Woodland Volleyball WIT represents the start of the 2023 season.

The first round of the tournament will begin on Monday, August 28, at Woodland High School. Bell City will take on Zalma at 4 p.m., followed by Oak Ridge vs. Leopold at 5:30 p.m., Perryville vs. Greenville at 7 p.m., and Meadow Heights vs. Woodland at 8:30 p.m.

The losers from each game will play on the consolation side of the bracket on Tuesday, August 29, at 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. The winners will advance to the semifinals on Thursday, August 31, at 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. On Friday, September 1, the consolation finals will begin at 4:30 p.m., followed by the third-place game at 6 p.m., and the championship game at 7:30 p.m.

Here is a look at the teams:

__Bell City__

The Cubs went 27-4-1 last season but are still searching for their first district championship since 2010 after losing to the eventual Class 1 champions, the Advance Hornets. With Bell City and Advance no longer in the same district, C1D2 looks ready for the taking. The Cubs swept the WIT last season and enter this year's tournament as the No. 1 seed.

__Meadow Heights__

The Panthers finished 23-10 last season with their second straight 20+ win season. They seek their first district title since 2020 but would have to go through Advance to do it. Meadow Heights won third place last year and enters the tournament as a No. 2 seed.

__Perryville__

The Pirates finished last season 10-15-3 and are 10 years removed from the program's first Final Four appearance. They are newcomers to the WIT and enter as the biggest school among the participants and the No. 3 seed.

__Oak Ridge__

The Blue Jays finished last season 17-11 to extend their winning season streak to six years. They lost to Bell City in the WIT title game last season. A win in the first round could lead to an opportunity for payback early, as they are the No. 4 seed in the tournament.

__Leopold__

The Wildcats finished last season 11-15-1. 2023 marks 10 years since Leopold played in the state championship game. The Wildcats won a game in their district tournament last year before falling to Bell City. A win in the first round could lead to an opportunity for payback, as they are the No. 5 seed in the tournament.

__Greenville__

The Bears finished last season 12-14-2 after a solid 7-5 start to the year. Greenville defeated Leopold for the consolation crown last year and is looking for a much better result this week. The Bears enter the tournament as the No. 6 seed.

__Woodland__

The host team defeated Greenville in the first round but stumbled toward a fourth-place finish last year. The Cardinals finished 8-18-1 last year after going 25-5 the previous year. They look to rebound the season starting with their own tournament, where they enter as the No. 7 seed,

__Zalma__

Zalma struggled to a 5-14 record last season. The Bulldogs enter the WIT as the No. 8 seed, seeking its first 10-win season since 2019.