Tigers encounter controversy in season finale

~ Poplar Bluff swept Central in a match that featured scoring problems

SIKESTON, Mo. -- The Central Tigers were rolling in Game 1 of their semifinal match against Poplar Bluff in the Class 4 District 1 volleyball tournament.

Then a scoreboard controversy took place.

That deflated the Tigers.

No. 2 seed Poplar Bluff took hold of a roller-coaster Game 1 25-21 and held off a furious Central comeback to win Game 2 25-22.

"After the scoreboard issue, I don't know what happened," Central coach Charity Huff said. "We came back out and they had the serve and we shanked a few and had a hard time recovering."

Central held what appeared to be a 20-15 lead in Game 1. Several points later the scoreboard read 19-18 in favor of the Tigers, leading Huff to question the score.

The officials took a look before deciding nothing was wrong, and after two more points, the Tigers held a 20-19 lead. Huff again challenged the score.

This time the officials awarded Central a point, giving the Tigers a 21-19 advantage.

The Tigers struggled after the controversy. Poplar Bluff rattled off six straight points against an error-prone Central team to capture Game 1.

"One thing led to another," Central senior Chelsea Pannier said. "We let them get in our heads."

Game 1 wasn't all bad for the third-seeded Tigers.

The two teams battled back and forth before Central took a 14-13 lead. The Tigers pushed the lead to 17-13.

"We communicated well," Huff said of her team's early performance in Game 1. "We played as one unit."

A must-win Game 2 started off as a nightmare for Central, which fell behind 8-1.

"Nobody wants to be in that position," Huff said. "We struggled in the beginning. We held back a little."

The Tigers appeared to be done before a furious comeback.

Central went on a 3-0 run to cut the lead to 8-4, but the Mules responded by pushing their advantage to 11-4.

Down 13-7, Central went on a 7-0 run to swing momentum.

"We knew what it felt like last districts losing to Jackson in the championship," Pannier said. "We really wanted to get back there."

Pannier was a force for the Tigers during their comeback, making numerous plays to earn Central points.

"I'm very competitive," Pannier said. "I did all I could to help my team. It's a team game and everyone tried their hardest. We just didn't have it at the end."

Added Huff: "I have a great group of senior girls. Chelsea is one of the captains and she takes on a leadership role along with Chelsey Brown. When she gets kills, it gets the team fired up."

The Mules seemed rattled after the Tigers' run but responded after a timeout.

Poplar Bluff went on a 6-1 run to earn a 19-14 lead and dampen the Tigers' spirits.

Central refused to go easily.

The Tigers eventually pulled within 23-21 and again at 24-22 before falling.

"I was really proud of our girls," Huff said. "We started out slow and they had to fight back. They didn't quit."

Pannier led the Tigers with a team-high eight kills and four blocks. Brown added five kills and seven digs.