Cardinal volleyball players are hoping for a big crowd at “the Dome” Saturday as they make history.

At 1 p.m. Saturday, they will host the first volleyball quarterfinal in school history. They’ve also made history by becoming the school’s first team to win more than 30 matches in a season.

The 31-4-2 Cardinals will be facing the 29-6-3 Helias Catholic Lady Crusaders. Whoever wins will advance to the semifinals at 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, in the Show Me Center at Cape Girardeau.

Webb City is going to the quarterfinals for the second year in a row after defeating the 22-11-2 Carl Junction Bulldogs in straight sets Tuesday at Willard for the Class 4 District 6 championship.

A year ago, Webb City upset Carl Junction to win the district and lost at Logan-Rogersville in the quarterfinal round. 

This year, the Cardinals were seeded first and defeated the Bulldogs for the third time this season.

Coach Rhonda Moore says her returning players got “a lot of kills and digs” last year, but what they gained this year is “court awareness. They really fine tuned this year.”

Going beyond the 30-match mark is a testament she says to “how much work they’ve put into the program” since they were little.

The team has now won seven matches in a row without losing a set.

In the district final, Webb City won 25-19, 25-17, 25-12.

Brenda Lawrence and Aubree Lassiter both had 10 kills, while Jaeli Rutledge and Kate Brownfield added 7 and six kills, respectively.

Kyah Sanborn had 30 sets, and Sophia Crane had 11 digs.