Cardinals win fourth straight district title, host quarterfinal rematch Saturday

The Webb City Cardinals have a quarterfinal rematch with the Jefferson City Jays – only this time the Cardinals are expecting to have home-fan advantage in the Cardinal Dome.

Gametime will be 1 p.m. Saturday. The winner will advance to the final four at Cape Girardeau.

A year ago at Jefferson City, the two teams battled through five sets, with the Jays moving on to Cape and taking third place at state. They are 25-7 this year.

The 28-8-1 Cardinals are hungry to return to the final four. They took fourth place in 2022.

Webb City won its fourth district title in a row last Saturday by defeating Marshfield 3-1 in the Class 4 District 6 tournament at Springfield Catholic.

The Cardinals won the first set 25-22 but fell behind early in the second set and lost that one 25-20.

“That’s your break for the day,” coach Rhonda Lawrence said she told her players. “We smoked them the next set (25-7).”

The deciding set was closer as the Cardinals clinched the win 25-23.

“These kids have seen us be so successful,” said Lawrence. “They want to raise the bar and keep it going.”

The team is hoping for a big turnout of fans. Tickets ($10) are required for everyone age 6 and older. They are only available online.