LEOPOLD CAPTURES 1A TITLE

WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- With Smithton High three points from victory, Leopold found poise that eluded it in the first game of the Missouri Class 1A championship volleyball match.

The Lady Wildcats edged Smithton 8-15, 15-3, 15-13 Saturday afternoon at Central Missouri State University's Multipurpose Building, giving them their second 1A championship in five years.

Smithton (31-2-3) dominated a visibly nervous Leopold team early and led 12-0 in the first game. After Leopold (28-4-2) easily won the second game, it trailed 12-7 in the third.

Leopold scored eight of the next nine points. Alicia Halter, who put together one of the best performances in the 15-year history of the 1A tournament, swung her left arm -- her off arm -- and put the ball on the floor to end the match and begin the celebration.

"My left-handed hit," said Halter with a laugh. "It was awesome. I don't know how to explain it; I couldn't believe it really. It just kind of hits you and you're just like, `wow.' And everybody ran together and it was all excitement."

Halter, a senior and a second-team all-state selection last year, set the 1A tournament record for digs with 56. Halter had 17 digs, one from the championship record, Saturday. Also, Halter's 54 kills was five from the tournament record.

As a team, Leopold set a record for blocks in a tournament with 32, one more than it had in 1993.

"That was probably the main difference in the game. Our hitters were a little bit rattled at times, because the blockers were in our face at all times," said Smithton coach George Creason.

Junior Hanna Jansen complemented Halter well and totaled 10 kills. Sophomore Sarah Gowen led the team wth 25 assists and, with Gwen Vandeven, had six blocks.

First-year Leopold coach Leanne Huffman also won a 1A title as a player at Zalma High in 1990.

"It's so different; sitting on the bench I can't do anything," Huffman said. "It was good as a player, but it feels even better as a coach. It's a different feeling; kind of like I had more to do with it."

In the third game, the Lady Wildcats scored three straight and took its first lead of the game, 13-12, on a kill by Vandeven, a block by Gowen and a passing error by Smithton.

Smithton tied it at 13 before a hitting error by the Lady Tigers gave Leopold a 14-13 lead and Halter's kill ended the match.

* Hermann beat Bernie 15-5, 15-8 in the Class 2A championship match.

The loss snapped Bernie's string of three straight state titles. Last year Bernie won the 2A championship. The Lady Mules won 1A titles in 1994 and 1995.