CLINTON — On Feb. 22, the Lady Cardinals, of Warrensburg/Latham, came to town on 8th grade recognition night for the hometown Lady Maroons. 

The evening began with the 7th graders on the court, and it was a tussle from the start with the opposition taking an early lead. 

The Lady Maroons stayed strong and came back to even the score.  From there, it was back and forth until the home team broke loose at 20 points and took home the first set win 25-19. 

The second set was also close except for a 7-point run in the middle of the set that gave the Lady Cardinals the edge, which the Lady Maroons couldn’t quite close, thus losing the second set 22-25. 

Now it’s crunch time. 

The third set began, and it was another 25 points to win.  This set mimmicked the other two, a scorcher as both teams battled hard for the win.  The home team had a short run near the end, but the Lady Cardinals took the set 25-22.  Thus the opposition won the match 2-1.

During the intermission between matches, the 8th grade volleyball students were recognized for their efforts at CJHS and for their bright futures ahead.  Those moving up were Lilah Cluver, Clara Dempsey, Avery Smith, Anelise Thompson, Riley Fentress, Abi Moser, Mabrey Schick, and Leah Mills.  Good luck with your futures ladies.

This first set of the 8th grade match was even closer than the 7th grade run and was a struggle until the very end when the Lady Cardinals pulled out two straight final points for a 25-23 first set win. 

Although the opposition took a 7-0 lead to start the set, the Lady Maroons hung on and rode out the storm.  Little by little the lead began to slip from the grasp of the Lady Cardinals and the Lady Maroons were able to take the win in the second set 25-21. 

This set up the second tie-breaker of the night, and the fans were in a frenzy yelling for their team to win.  It was another scorcher with back and forth leads and some short runs right up to the end, when the home team eked out a close one 25-23. 

The eighth graders left the court ecstatic over their recognition night win 2-1 over the opposing Lady Cardinals.