In a high-quality, back-and-forth match worthy of two of Southeast Missouri's best volleyball programs and the title they were playing for, the play of Scott City junior Katie Hogan proved to be the difference at the end of a three-game championship match at the SEMO Spike tournament.

Hogan and the Rams defeated Notre Dame 22-25, 25-22, 25-18 on Saturday night at the Show Me Center to win the area's biggest tournament for the first time in school history.

Hogan accounted for six of the last eight points scored by her team in game three, displaying her full arsenal of offensive skills in the process.

With Scott City holding a slim 18-16 lead in the final game, the 6-foot-1 Hogan killed a Notre Dame overpass out of her position in the middle. Then in scoring the final five points for her team, Hogan recorded a kill from the outside, two booming kills -- one to each side of the court -- from the middle, a tip for a kill and a stuff block to finish off the victory.

"It's just amazing," Scott City coach Haley Jennings said. "You can count on her almost every time, especially like that when she's fired up and ready and you know she's just hungry for that ball to be set to her. You know every time. It's almost guaranteed in my mind she's going to knock the crap out of it."

Scott City avenged a couple of losses to the Bulldogs with the victory. The Rams lost to Notre Dame in the semifinals of the same tournament during their state championship season a year ago and dropped a three-game match on the Bulldogs' home court Wednesday.

"After we lost, we had a feeling we were going to meet them here today," Jennings said. "And I kept telling my girls, 'Win games. We want to get to that championship game.' And especially beating them, that's the icing on the cake."

The Rams rallied after dropping the opening game.

"We just talked about how we need to have a ton of energy all the time," Hogan said. "We don't need to let down. We need to be excited about everything and when we mess up just shake it off and say, 'Hey, if I miss a pass, I'm getting the next pass.'"

Scott City was playing for the fifth consecutive night after opening its season Tuesday and had to win four matches Saturday to claim the championship.

"I'm feeling it," Hogan said of the busy schedule. "My knee, my foot -- everything from head to toe."

Notre Dame advanced to the championship match of the SEMO tournament for a second consecutive year. The Bulldogs defeated Eminence in the championship match last season.

"Everybody kept asking when we were coming in how's it feels to be the defending champs," Notre Dame coach Tara Stroup said. "It's a different team, and I'm really, really proud of the way that these girls pulled it together today."

The Bulldogs defeated St. Elizabeth, Poplar Bluff and Leopold to advance to the title match.

"I don't think anybody's hanging their head at all," Stroup said. "Just a few little key plays didn't go our way, but they never quit over there. They kept swinging and they were hitting. I mean, Scott City is a good team, so I give them all the credit they deserve."

Hogan finished the match with 20 kills, 27 digs and three blocks for kills, while Mikah Simpson added 10 kills, 27 digs and three kill blocks.

"People had doubts about us, losing what we did, but last year we lost in the semifinals and this year we came back on won it," Hogan said. "We have a lot of stuff to work on, but this definitely gave us some confidence."

POOL PLAY RESULTS

Meadow Heights defeated Bell City 25-19, 25-20

Cape Central defeated Woodland 25-16, 25-13

Notre Dame defeated Bloomfield 225-15, 25-24

Portageville defeated Marquand 25-7, 25-16

Perryville defeated Puxico 25-3, 25-15

Leopold defeated Twin Rivers 25-5, 25-13

Lesterville defeated Saxony Lutheran 25-9, 25-16

Jackson defeated New Madrid 25-4, 25-20

Bernie defeated Caruthersville 25-10, 25-15

Poplar Bluff split with St. Vincent 25-22, 19-25

Sikeston defeated Gideon 25-21, 25-20

Zalma defeated Dexter 25-13, 25-9

Malden defeated Calvary Lutheran 25-15, 25-17

Seckman split with Advance 25-23, 16-25

Clearwater defeated Richland 25-14, 25-20

Holcomb defeated Greenville 25-18, 25-14

Bismarck defeated Cooter 25-19, 26-16

New Haven defeated Southland 25-6, 25-8

Senath defeated Oak Ridge 25-8, 25-13

SCentral Park Hills defeated St. Elizabeth 9-25, 25-23

Eminence defeated Kennett 6-25, 15-25

Ellington split with Oran 25-12, 17-25

Scott City defeated Kingston 25-19, 25-14

Lebanon defeated South Iron 25-11, 25-14

Bell City defeated Caruthersville 25-7, 25-12

St. Vincent defeated Cape Central 25-19, 25-21

Bloomfield defeated Sikeston 25-23, 25-10

Zalma defeated Portageville 25-11, 25-20

Perryville defeated Calvary Lutheran 25-8, 25-7

Advance defeated Twin Rivers 25-19, 25-10

Saxony Lutheran split with Clearwater 25-23, 20-25

Jackson defeated Holcomb 25-21, 25-11

Meadow Heights defeated Cooter 25-14, 25-22

New Haven defeated Woodland 25-23, 25-17

Notre Dame defeated Senath 25-5, 25-14

St. Elizabeth defeated Marquand 25-10, 25-9

Kennett defeated Puxico 25-23, 25-23

Leopold defeated Ellington 25-6, 25-16

Scott City split with Lesterville 24-25, 25-23

South Iron split with New Madrid 25-19, 12-25

Bernie split with Bismark 25-22, 24-25

Poplar Bluff defeated Southland 25-6, 25-8

Gideon defeated Oak Ridge 25-12, 25-10

Park Hills Central defeated Dexter 25-20, 25-24

Eminence defeated Malden 25-15, 25-6

Seckman defeated Oran 25-9, 25-16

Kingston defeated Richland 25-12, 25-22

Lebanon defeated Greenville 25-7, 25-8

Kennett defeated Calvary 25-9, 25-10

Advance defeated Ellington 25-11, 25-13

Scott City defeated Clearwater 25-10, 25-12

Holcomb defeated South Iron 25-17, 25-23

Senath split with Sikeston 25-17, 22-25

Zalma defeated St. Elizabeth 21-25, 21-25

Cooter defeated Caruthersville 25-16, 25-12

New Haven split with St. Vincent 22-25, 25-15

Perryville split with Eminence 25-16, 17-25

Twin Rivers split with Oran 25-13, 17-25

Saxony Lutheran split with Kingston 20-25, 25-15

Lebanon defeated Jackson 19-25, 15-25

Bloomfield defeated Oak Ridge 25-17, 25-19

Central Park Hills defeated Portageville 25-9, 25-15

Bell City split with Bismarck 25-21, 22-25

Cape Central split with Southland 25-17, 25-15

Puxico defeated Malden 25-21, 25-23

Leopold defeated Seckman 25-18, 25-17

Lesterville defeated Richland 25-14, 25-12

Greenville split with New Madrid 25-13, 25-19

Notre Dame defeated Gideon 25-8, 25-15

Dexter defeated Marquand 25-14, 25-6

Meadow Heights defeated Bernie 25-20, 25-14

Poplar Bluff defeated Woodland 25-8, 25-17

GOLD DIVISION PLAYOFFS

Round of 16

Lebanon defeated Bell City 11-25, 25-19, 16-25

Leopold defeated Perryville 25-18, 25-17

Poplar Bluff defeated Lesterville 25-16, 21-25, 25-20

Notre Dame defeated St. Elizabeth 25-15, 25-15

Meadow Heights defeated Jackson 25-14, 25-15

Eminence defeated Seckman 25-16, 25-16

Scott City defeated St. Vincent 24-25, 25-17, 25-16

Zalma defeated Bloomfield 25-21, 25-18

Quarterfinals

Leopold defeated Lebanon 25-19, 18-25, 26-24

Notre Dame defeated Poplar Bluff 26-24, 25-12

Eminence defeated Meadow Heights 25-16, 24-26, 25-17

Scott City defeated Zalma 26-24, 19-25, 25-21

Consolation Quarterfinals

Perryville defeated Bell City 25-21, 25-12

Lesterville defeated St. Elizabeth 25-18, 25-16

Jackson defeated Seckman 25-18, 25-17

St. Vincent defeated Bloomfield 27-25, 25-21

Semifinals

Notre Dame defeated Leopold 25-11, 25-20

Scott City defeated Eminence 25-23, 25-20

Consolation Semifinals

Perryville defeated Lesterville 25-18, 25-16

St. Vincent defeated Jackson 25-21, 25-19

Finals

Scott City defeated Notre Dame 22-25, 25-22, 25-18

Consolation Finals

Perryville defeated St. Vincent 25-19, 25-15

SILVER division PLAYOFFS

Round of 16

Bernie defeated Holcomb 25-19, 25-18

Advance defeated Kennett 25-22, 25-15

New Haven defeated Clearwater 25-11, 25-12

Dexter defeated Sikeston 25-5, 25-14

Bismarck defeated South Iron 25-10, 25-9

Puxico defeated Ellington 26-24, 25-9

Woodland defeated Saxony Lutheran 21-25, 25-21, 25-14

Park Hills Central defeated Senath 25-12, 25-17

Quarterfinals

Bismarck defeated Puxico 25-14, 25-22

New Haven defeated Dexter 25-19, 25-19

Park Hills defeated Saxony Lutheran 25-23, 25-17

Bernie defeated Advance 25-21, 23-25, 25-9

Consolation Quarterfinals:

Sikeston defeated Clearwater 20-25, 25-13, 25-16

Senath defeated Woodland 25-22, 23-25, 25-13

Kennett defeated Holcomb 25-21, 25-21

Ellington defeated South Iron 25-8, 25-12

Semifinals:

Bismarck defeated Central Park Hills 25-16, 18-25, 25-22

Bernie defeated New Haven 25-15, 25-17

Consolation Semifinals:

Kennett defeated Sikeston 25-16, 19-25, 25-22

Senath defeated Ellington 25-22, 25-16

Finals:

Bismarck defeated Bernie 17-25, 25-8, 25-18

Consolations Finals:

Senath defeated Kennett 25-20, 25-21

BRONZE DIVISION PLAYOFFS

Round of 16:

Cooter defeated New Madrid 25-14, 25-11

Malden defeated Oran 25-22, 19-25, 25-20

Cape Central defeated Kingston 25-5 , 25-19

Portageville defeated Oak Ridge 25-18, 25-17

Caruthersville defeated Greenville 25-14, 16-25, 27-25

Twin Rivers defeated Calvary Lutheran 25-9, 25-8

Richland defeated Southland 25-18, 18-25, 25-17

Gideon defeated Marquand 25-10, 25-7

Quarterfinals:

Cooter defeated Malden 25-10, 25-23

Cape Central defeated Portageville 25-11, 25-15

Twin Rivers defeated Caruthersville 25-18, 25-22

Gideon defeated Richland 25-10, 25-17

Semifinals:

Cape Central defeated Cooter 25-13, 25-15

Gideon defeated Twin Rivers 23-25, 25-19, 25-14

Finals:

Gideon defeated Cape Central 25-18, 24-26, 25-19