Oak Ridge captures first ever volleyball district championship

The Oak Ridge volleyball team set a new milestone this year by defeating New Haven in four sets (25-22, 25-20, 23-25, 25-21) to win their first-ever district championship on Monday, Oct. 28, in Crystal City.

"I am beyond proud of them for their hard work, dedication, and teamwork this year," Oak Ridge coach Starla Pulley said. "This was the first time in school history for a district championship. They all wanted it and competed every point for it."

The Blue Jays have made great strides since Pully arrived at Oak Ridge from Dexter last year. They played in the district championship game for the first time in program history during her first year as head coach.

Oak Ridge lost to St. Vincent for the title last year, but with St. Vincent moving up to Class 2, and an improved team, the Blue Jays were ready to get over the hump in 2024.

"The girls really wanted it," Pulley said. "We have been working on our mental toughness this year and working on trusting the process and our abilities."

The Blue Jays were led by the duo of Kaelyn Decked (15 kills) and Reagan Howe (14 kills). Decked also had 26 digs while Kinsleigh Bogenpohl led the team with 36 digs. Jayleigh Price led the team with seven blocks, followed by four from Howe.

"I think when you think of an MVP you think a sole person," Pulley said, "but it’s definitely a collected effort from our defense, to our setter to our hitters."

The win gives the Blue Jays their 19th win on the season, their highest win total since 2018 (23-9-1). They have picked a good month to be hot, as the Blue Jays have won nine of 12 games in October.

"We have a great balanced team," Pulley said. "We compliment each other and no one is selfish. We have more than one player that can put the ball down. We put a lot of pressure on the net tonight and it paid off.  We have great leadership as well. Our defense did the job tonight as well, our passes were where we needed them to get our offense going. We made some real scrappy plays and never gave up."

The Blue Jays will host the Class 1 sectional round for the first time in school history. They will be paired up against the District 3 champion, most likely two-time defending state champion Advance, on Halloween, Thursday, Oct. 31.

"We are excited to keep playing and another chance to move forward," Pulley said.

Around Southeast Missouri

Volleyball: Jackson defeated Nerinx Hall in four sets (25‑19, 25‑20, 20‑25, 25‑23) to advance to the Class 5 District 1 championship game on Monday in St. Louis. The win improves the Indians' record to 32-6, a new school record.

Volleyball: Notre Dame defeated Saxony Lutheran in three sets (25‑23, 25‑10, 25‑21) to advance to the Class 3 District 1 finals against Dexter on Monday. The Bulldogs avenged their loss against the Crusaders in last year's district final and snapped their four-year district title streak. Saxony Lutheran finishes its season with a 19-14-1 record.