Lafayette outlasts Liberty-KC in a 5-set marathon to reach Class 5 title match
CAPE GIRARDEAU — Maybe it was the shoes. Maybe it was the dance routine.
Two-time defending state champ Lafayette pulled out all the stops trailing Liberty 2-1 before the fourth set of its Class 5 girls volleyball state semifinal match Wednesday night at the Show Me Center.
It added up to a thrilling 25-22, 25-27, 21-25, 25-17, 17-15 comeback win for the Lancers.
The turnaround started with some old-fashioned superstition as coach Zach Young switched to a pair of Nikes before the fourth set.
"I absolutely love my coaching staff this year, I want to say that, but a couple of them been on me about, hey, we need to go in style," Young said. "We need to get some cool shoes. And they've been so good this year that I was trying to reward them a little bit by wearing the shoes here. And the kids got a kick out of it this morning."
While Young was changing his footwear, his players were dancing to the Cotton Eyed Joe.
"I definitely think we knew we could, like, step it up to bring more energy and effort and communication in the fourth set," senior Maya Witherspoon said. "It obviously worked."
Witherspoon, the reigning Post-Dispatch All-Metro player of the year, was a force throughout the match, blasting 30 kills for the Lancers.
"She's our glue, she's our heart, and she was that for us again tonight," Young said.
Shaye Witherspoon had 17 kills and Mackie Mueller put down nine more for Lafayette (31-5 overall), No. 1 in the STLhighschoolsports.com large school rankings. Carly Desarno had 50 assists.
Abigail Mullen, a University of Southern California recruit and the No. 1-ranked player in Missouri by PrepDig.com , had 26 kills for Liberty (28-7).
A Maya Witherspoon kill evened a tense fifth set at 13-all. Mullen fought off a pair of Lafayette match points before a Kyla Krimmel kill and an Addy Wiese ace ended the 2-hour, 25-minute marathon.
"Just leaving everything on the court, giving everything we had," Maya Witherspoon said.
A little controversy
Liberty called a timeout after Lafayette apparently tied the opening set at 20-all. But during the break, the scoreboard showed 20-19, prompting Liberty coach April Fleming to question the officials on the actual score.
After checking the sheets, the officials determined that Lafayette indeed led 20-19. Aubrey Dumstorff put down an ace once the match resumed and Maya Witherspoon gave the Lancers set point with a pair of kills before a Desarno ace ended the frame.
Blue Jays answer
Liberty evened the match at a set apiece with a late run to finish the second set. Mullen got the Blue Jays going with a backrow kill, a block and another kill.
Liberty fended off set point with a Lafayette hitting error and kills from Camryn Lee and Megan Bishton clinched the frame.
"I think just being resilient," Young said. "You know, we didn't have our best stuff at times, but some of that was Liberty was really good and pushed us into rough situations."
The Blue Jays never trailed in the third set. Mullen had seven kills and a block as Liberty took a 2-1 lead.
"She's a big blocker, so obviously, when we set her it's not a good matchup," DeSarno said of Mullen. "So just moving the ball around."
Lancers keep it going
Lafayette extended the match by ending the fourth set on an 8-0 run. Mueller got it started with a block, Maya Witherspoon put down a pair of kills and Dumstorff ended the frame with back-to-back aces.
Maya Witherspoon had eight kills and Shaye Witherspoon had four kills and a block for the Lancers in the fourth set.
Playoff picture
Lafayette will play either Ozark (37-3) or Francis Howell (28-7) for the championship at 8 p.m. Thursday. The Lancers are going for their third straight and ninth overall state championship.
"It is going to be very tough," Young said. "Just maybe be a little bit more consistent, just put our best foot forward and see what happens."
