The Class 5 District 6 volleyball tournament, hosted by Ozark High School, will take place from October 21 to 28. 

The play-in game is scheduled for Oct. 21 between No. 8 Joplin and No. 9 Neosho. Quarterfinal matchups are scheduled for Oct. 22 and 23, semifinals for Oct. 25, and the championship game for Oct. 25.

The competing teams in the district are Branson, Carthage, Glendale, Joplin, Kickapoo, Nixa, Neosho, Ozark, and Republic.

Nixa received the No. 2 seed and faces No. 7 Glendale (14-8-3) in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at 5 p.m.

The remaining seeds and matchups are as follows: No. 1 Ozark (28-0) vs. the winner of No. 8 Joplin (3-23-1) and No. 9 Neosho (7-20), No. 4 Kickapoo (16-14) vs. No. 5 Branson (17-11-5), and No. 3 Republic (14-10-1) vs. No. 6 Carthage (9-14-1).

Nixa knocked off every district opponent during the regular season.

Click here for the Class 5 District 6 tournament bracket.

Recaps

Quarterfinal
Nixa defeated Glendale in three straight sets, 25-15, 25-19, and 25-20 to advance to the semifinal round against Republic.

Offensively, Nixa totaled 44 kills to Glendale's 20. Gwen Kubik and Taylor Wood had double-digit kills, tallying 15 and 12, respectively. Alivia Wood and Cora Kubik added seven each. Peyton Creed added 14 points for the Eagles with her serves. Wood (18) and Creed (15) finished with double-digit assists as well.

Defensively, the Eagles were everywhere, totaling 60 digs to the Falcons' 42, led by Mara Coulter's (14) and Wood's (11) double digits. Addy Bybee led in the blocks category with four, followed by Gwen Kubik's three.

The victory sends Nixa to a semifinal matchup with Republic, who swept Carthage. Ozark and Kickapoo clash in the other semifinal.

Click here for video highlights.
Click here for game photos.

Semifinals
Nixa took down Republic in three consecutive sets, 25-19, 25-22, and 25-8, advancing the Eagles to the district title game.

Nixa jumped out to a 15-9 lead, and each team managed 10 more points, but it was a Mya McCubbin kill, assisted by Mara Coulter, that secured point No. 25 and set one for the Eagles.

The second set provided a more competitive battle. Nixa rallied four straight points midway through the second to take a 12-8 lead, but Republic tied the game at 14-14, and eventually took a brief lead at 17-15, forcing a Nixa timeout. Out of the break and after a few exchanges of points, the Eagles went ahead 21-19 and never relinquished the lead, eventually taking the set 25-22.

The third set was all Nixa, as the Eagles led 15-6 midway through the third, and an Addyson Bybee kill from Taylor Wood notched the 25th-set point and 25-8 victory. 

Offensively, the Eagles had 37 kills, 29 assists, and 13 aces. Gwen Kubik led all players with nine kills. Bybee (8), Wood (7), and McCubbin (5) followed behind Kubik. Wood also tallied 17 assists and five aces. Peyton Creed added nine assists as well. 

Defensively, Nixa totaled five blocks and 41digs, sparked by Coulter's (14) and Addie O'Connell's (11) double digits.

The win sends Nixa to its second consecutive championship appearance and sets up a top-seeded championship tilt against No. 1 Ozark, which beat Kickapoo 25-18, 25-18, and 25-14.

Nixa won the regular-season matchup in an instant classic 3-2 (23-25, 25-23, 26-24, 23-25, 15-10), but it's been the Tigers who've ended Nixa's season the previous two years in postseason play (2024 championship, 2023 semifinals).

Click here for game photos.

Championship
Nixa captured its first district title since 2021 after upsetting and sweeping top-seeded host Ozark (25-22, 25-20, 25-21) for its second victory over the Tigers.

Click here for the entire recap, photos, and video highlights.

The Eagles will travel to Blue Springs South in the state quarterfinals on Nov. 1, at 1 p.m.