EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, Mo. (Sept. 7, 2025) – It wasn’t an easy start, but the Lady Tigers volleyball team battled through a tough first week, capped by a marathon five-set showdown with North Kansas City.
The Oak Park Oakies took them down in the season opener on Sept. 2, winning in four sets. The first set stayed tight with the Oakies pulling out a 25-23 win to take a 1-0 advantage going into set two. The second set was not nearly as close, with the Oakies winning 25-17, but the Lady Tigers bounced back in the third set with a 25-17 win. The fourth set went to the Oakies 25-19 to secure the win. Senior Jordin Price and junior Camden McDaniels led the offensive attack for the Lady Tigers with 11 kills apiece. Senior Lillah Shue aided the offense with 33 assists. Senior Maya Watkins collected 14 digs, with Price adding 10 on the defensive side of the net.
The Oak Grove Panthers dropped the Lady Tigers in three sets on Sept. 3 with scores of 25-14, 25-7, and 25-9. McDaniels led the offense with six kills, with Price adding three. Shue had 13 assists, while Watkins led the defense with nine digs and Price added seven.
The first road matchup of the season took the Lady Tigers to North Kansas City High School to face the Hornets, falling three sets to two. The night started promising for the Lady Tigers, who took set one 25-18 and set two 25-23. The Hornets stung back, taking the next three sets 25-18, 25-16, and 15-6 in the fifth and final set to claim the victory. Price picked up 11 more kills, with McDaniels and junior Bayli Crowley each adding five. Shue totaled 25 assists on the five-set night. Watkins had a big defensive outing with 20 digs, while Shue added 16 digs, Price had 15, and junior Madison Breshears tallied 14.
The Lady Tigers are back in action this week with matches at St. Joseph Central on Sept. 9, at Harrisonville on Sept. 10, and then hosting the Kearney Bulldogs on Sept. 11. They will finish the week with the annual Chillicothe Tournament on Saturday, Sept. 13, where they will face Bishop LeBlond, Brookfield, and St. Joseph Christian in pool play.
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