Season ends for Du Quoin volleyball team at sectional

RED BUD -- After 25 wins and a regional championship, the Du Quoin High School volleyball team was hoping for even more Monday night.
But the Lady Indians ran into a tough Carlyle squad and fell 25-14, 25-21 in the semifinals of the Red Bud 2A Sectional.
The loss meant the end of the line for Du Quoin seniors Katie Smith, Meryn Gross, Morgan Bullar, Haley Williams and Bobbianne Hamlin.
Du Quoin finished with a 25-13 record and the first regional championship in volleyball since 2001.
"These seniors accomplished every obstacle I put in front of them," said Du Quoin coach Isaac Miller. "Every goal we set. I think we had five different freshmen get in the match. Our seniors have been great leaders for our juniors and I think the future of Du Quoin volleyball looks really good."
Carlyle (21-13) advanced to face Nashville (30-8) in Wednesday's championship match. Nashville dispatched Staunton 25-21, 25-18 in the second semifinal Monday night.
Brooklynn Smith led Carlyle to the win. Smith, a three-sport senior standout, finished with 16 kills and 11 digs and had half of those kills during an early 9-1 run that gave her team an 11-4 lead.
"She was tough to stop," Miller said. "I felt like if we could've pushed it to a third game, her legs were starting to wear out a little. She played all six rotations."
An ace from Emily Gebke capped that early run. Carlyle had two more four-point sprees in the first game, one featuring a big kill from Lohgan Von Hatten and the other including two booming spikes by Smith for a 23-11 lead.
Du Quoin kept fighting and got consecutive kills from Lauren Heape, Williams and Ayanna Dunklin, but another kill by Smith and an error gave Carlyle the first game.
Du Quoin's own star hitter, Elizabeth Bird, got untracked in the second game and the Lady Indians had leads of 6-4 and 10-6 before Carlyle again strung four in a row with the help of two errors to tie it.
Du Quoin was ahead 14-13 after an ace from Lauren Cravens and agains at 16-15, but Carlyle got two kills from Smith to jump back in front.
It was tied as late as 19-19 before Carlyle took a 24-20 lead after a block by Molly Diekemper and an ace from Kaitlynn Dornin. Cravens got a kill for Du Quoin's last point, which was followed by Diekemper tipping over the winner.
"I'm proud of them," Miller said. "I think they've set the tone as far as being hungry to get back here."
A win would've meant a rematch with SIRR Mississippi rival Nashville. Du Quoin lost three times to the Hornettes but two of the matches went three games.
Next year, the Lady Indians could bring back hitters Bird, Cravens, Dunklin and Heape, defensive specialists Braylyn Funk, Grace Alongi and Olivia Dill and the versatile Sophie Miller, Delaynie Dearmond and Lexi Cobin.