WARDSVILLE, Mo. - At 13-1 in the second game of Thursday night's volleyball match between Blair Oaks and Hallsville, a Hallsville player skied an attempted dig behind her and into the rafters of the Blair Oaks gym.
The ball flew through the net of a retracted basketball hoop and sat on the backboard for a good five seconds before coming down. With the ball still in play, Hallsville salvaged the point and sent the ball to the other side, only to have Blair Oaks senior Madison Abbott slam it down for a kill.
It might not have seemed as if Blair Oaks had the home-court advantage Thursday - especially with the Hallsville cheering section going unopposed thanks to the softball showdown between Blair Oaks and Jefferson City drawing most green-clad fans to 63 Diamonds.
But the Lady Falcons were undeterred. Blair Oaks defeated Hallsville in straight sets, 25-8, 25-2.
"It was a nice job tonight," Blair Oaks coach Joy Northweather said. "Both our JV (which also won in two games) and varsity really had a presence tonight. We played very comfortably and, I'd say, almost error-free tonight. It was great to see."
Junior Jayde Peters said the Lady Falcons had experience playing in front of a vocal crowd from their win at Eldon.
"I think it just gets us more up and ready to play," she said. "We just build off of it."
Peters totaled 13 straight service points to begin the second game for the Falcons, and she led the team with four aces.
"Once you get one ace, it just keeps coming," she said. "It gets me pumped."
Northweather was impressed with the strong run to start the set.
"It takes a lot of confidence," Northweather said. "She was placing the ball well. Most of the time I let the girls call their own serves, basically serve where they see the hole, where they see an opportunity, and she did a great job seeing the court tonight and hit really some great shots right down the line."
Allison Maxwell led Blair Oaks with three kills, and Lanie Berhorst and Abbott had two apiece. Peters had a team-high 16 assists, and Sadie Turner had nine. Ryan Dudenhoeffer had three blocks, and Rebecca Schroeder had four digs.
"We played aggressively, and as I said, a very clean game for us," Northweather said. "That was great to see. That's what we need to continue to do and keep pushing, no matter who's on the other side."
Blair Oaks' JV team improved to 14-0 with a 25-4, 25-8 win. Morgan Hoecker had a team high five kills, and Maggie Savage and Katie Loethen each had two. Ali Juergensmeyer had nine assists, and Emily Yaeger had five to go with six aces. Victoria Turner had three digs.
Blair Oaks will play Monday at Southern Boone.