WOODLAND VOLLEYBALL TAKES FOURTH AT STATE TOURNAMENT

MARBLE HILL -- The Woodland Lady Cardinals returned home with the Class 2A volleyball fourth place trophy last Sunday.

They were met by fans, parents and supporters at the Woodland High School as they disembarked from the bus that had been chartered for the trip.

The Lady Cardinals had found the round-robin play tough going on Nov. 6 in Warrensburg.

Woodland, the 1994 State Champions, lost both games against Cole Camp, 6-15, 3-15; East Newton, 7-15, 12-15; and Eldorado Springs, 8-15, 7-15.

Top Woodland players in the round-robin were Julia Cutsinger with nine points, Toni Cowell with seven, Desirae Bollinger with six, Sarah Booth with four and Ashley Eaker, Amanda Jordan and Dianna Lukefahr with one point each.

November 7, the Lady Cardinals took on the Cole Camp team in the consolation bracket.

The Lady Cardinals battled valiantly but were outgunned 7-15 in the first set. The second set put an end to the girls' hope of a third-place finish with a 5-15 loss. The team ended their season with a 22-15 record.

Top players for the game were Sarah Booth with seven points, Julia Cutsinger with three points, and Ashley Eaker with one point.

Following the game, each player was individually presented a medal for their fourth-place finish. The team captains then accepted the state tournament trophy.

Later, Woodland coach Tammy Brock summed up the season and the tournament.

"The team and I want to thank the community for their support during the season and a state. You made the difference.

"We would like to thank the people and businesses for their support in chartering a bus for the team," Brock continued. "The team was treated exceptionally well by Mr. Wene and the school board."

Brock also thanked Subway for their donation of a cookie tray and Bob's Best Buy for donations of Gatorade and water. She also gave recognition to two former players, April Campbell and Sarah Green, who donated a basket of candy to the players.

"The experience was really good," said senior Toni Cowell. "It was the first time any of us had ever been there. It was exciting to be there. There were 391 teams that didn't go to state and there were four in Class 2A that did make it and we were one...we were privileged to go."

"I really want to express my thanks to Charity Huff and Emily Johnson for maintaining and improving the volleyball program in my absence," said Coach Brock, commenting on the duos standing-in while she was out on maternity leave. "I hope that we have the opportunity to coach together again next season. I feel like our coaching staff played a major role in the success of our program."