Women's Volleyball 10/4/2021 9:49:00 AM By Ryan Retone, Student Intern

Nationally-ranked Lady Eagles move to 18-2 with final 4 finish at the Blue Springs South Invitational

Nixa Volleyball has turned into a perennially powerhouse in Missouri over the past three seasons. The 2021 Lady Eagles team however, is making history. For the first time ever, Nixa has cracked the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Super25 National power rankings.

Junior hitter Hillary Estes and the Lady Eagles are aware of their ranking, but remain humble and stay focused on the ending season goal.

"I feel like we hold ourselves to a high standard," Estes said. "The ranking is just a way to show our hard work is paying off. We still have a lot more work to do before the postseason, but I know if we keep working, we can do a lot this year."

On Saturday, October 2, the Lady Eagles took the court at the Blue Springs South Invitational.

In 2019, the last time Nixa attended, they won first place. The Lady Eagles faced Lee's Summit (8-11) in the first game of the day, Nixa coasted to a 2-0 victory (25-8, 25-15). In the second pool game, the Lady Eagles defeated Park Hill South in three sets (23-25, 25-20, 25-15). To cap off pool play, the Lady Eagles beat Blue Springs 25-16, 26-24 and moved onto the gold championship bracket.

The quarterfinals featured a game between the 2020 Class 5 state finalists, St. Dominic (12-4-3) and Nixa. The Lady Eagles won in straight sets 25-19, 25-17. Jaycee Fixsen led the attack with 9 kills and 2 blocks. Libero Emma Conrad added 9 digs. Fixsen, Jena Medaris, Addison Tauai and Maddie Golmen all had an ace in the match.

The semifinals brought on an AVCA top-30 matchup in the nation, as No. 16 Nixa took on No. 27 Fayetteville. The two teams played in Nixa earlier in the year, and the Lady Eagles won in a five set instant classic. This matchup could be described very similar. The teams split the first two sets but the Lady Bulldogs pulled away in set three and defeated Nixa 2-1 (25-23, 25-27, 18-25). Liberty North went on to defeat Fayetteville to capture the gold bracket title.

Fixsen and Allie Billmyer had huge games with a combined 29 kills. Sydney Golden added 35 assists. Six Lady Eagles had an ace in the match.

Nixa seeks to bounce back and finish the season strong as they continue to go through the gauntlet of the Central Ozarks Conference. Sitting at 4-0, the Lady Eagles are the frontrunners to run away with the title. Nixa (18-2, 4-0) will host Branson (5-14-2, 0-4) for the annual Dig to Cure game, benefiting the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks on Tuesday, Oct. 5.

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