Curse lifted as Miller volleyball finishes as state runner up, Volleyball program leaving mark with third straight Final Four

The Miller Lady Cardinal volleyball team was just a few points shy of a repeat state title Saturday, when they fell in five sets to the Advance Lady Hornets.  The second place finish will do just fine though, knowing it came with the exorcism of a past demon known as Winona volleyball, whom the Lady Cardinals dispatched in five sets in the semifinals.
The Miller Lady Cardinals returned to their home away from home at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau last weekend to compete in their third straight Final Four. The team knocked off Winona 3-2 in a five-set thriller in the semifinal game before falling to Advance in the state championship match in another five-set, instant classic.
The small farm town nestled in the heart of Lawrence County, is just a blip on the map for most passersby, but coach Tamara Landers has shaped and molded a volleyball program rivaled by no other school in southwest Missouri.
Miller senior Rose Hill said the town’s support is greatly appreciated.
“The support is awesome. We have the entire town here and you can tell it really means something for them, as well,” Hill said. “The awesome thing is they don’t put any additional pressure on us and they are proud of us no matter what.”
Last weekend marked the Lady Cardinals third straight trip to the mecca of volleyball in Missouri. The Coach T-led Lady Cardinals have not lost more than six matches in a season since 2015. A season that still included a district title but fell one game short to fellow perennial Class 1 power Winona in the quarterfinals.
Shakespeare couldn’t have written a better storyline coming into the 2022 Final Four, as the two powers would meet in the semifinal match.
“They have been like a curse we haven’t been able to break.” Landers said of the Lady Wildcats. “In my 20 years of coaching, we have never beaten Winona. We are 0-3 and I have been getting texts from former players saying to break the Winona curse.”
The Lady Cardinals came to Cape Girardeau winners of 14 straight sets and have only been defeated once in their previous 14 matches. Their postseason has been perfection, sweeping Billings and Greenfield in districts, Galena in sectionals, and finally Drexel last Saturday in the quarterfinals. Winona had been just as dominant coming in 28-6-5 and fresh off a 3-1 win over one of the top teams in the state, Lesterville, in the quarterfinal round. They boast one of the best three-headed monsters of elite hitters highlighted by Neveah Malawey and her 423 kills for the year.
Versus Winona Lady Wildcats
Winona and Malawey lived up to the hype as they jumped all over the Lady Cardinals led by the second head of the Lady Wildcat trio Taylor Osborne. Three kills from Osborne and tight play and mistakes from Miller allowed the Lady Cats to jump out to a 7-4 lead and the Lady Cardinals looked rattled for the first time all season. Lack of communication and timidness at the net allowed Winona to extend the lead to 13-6 before Miller found any footing. Seniors Haylie Schnake, Emberlynn Kingsley and Hailey Mart got a trio of kills and the Lady Cardinals went on an 8-2 run to bring the score to a 15-14 deficit. Malawey answered the call and would get four of her five first set kills in an 8-2 run for Winona. Miller found themselves down 23-16. Schnake and Mart headed a last ditch rally late but it was not enough and Winona took the opening set 25-20 after leading the entire set.
The second set was more of the same, and despite Helton getting a little fire underneath her with a pair of kills late in the set, the Lady Wildcat lead was too much to overcome and Winona took a 25-18 win, and a 2-0 advantage.
The Lady Cardinals simply looked rattled and lost. Mental errors and lack of communication found the Lady Cardinals with their backs against the wall going into set three.
The third set looked similar, as a Winona serve into the net was Miller’s lone point in a 7-1 Winona lead to open the set and that forced Coach T to take what would prove to be a season-saving timeout.
“I thought they looked a little bit tight and just said to them, ‘Hey, you are the defending state champions. And I believe you can defend. So go play like the defending champions,” Lander said. “Coach Nikki was saying to have fun and keep them loose because even the ones who had played on this stage before, and we didn’t think would look tight, did.”
Kingsley responded with two kills and a block in part of a 7-2 run that brought the score to 10-7. She wasn’t done as two blocks and two kills brought the team back to tie the game at 17. The teams traded the next six points to tie at 20. Miller capitalized on two errors then Schnake and Mart produced a 5-0 run to throw their first punch with their back in the corner.
The fourth set battle saw Winona ear a 22-17 lead. Miller saved their best volleyball of the day for the next 7-1 run behind a monster stretch from Kingsley, and took a 24-23 lead, and carried on to win, 27-25.
Miller finally got the hot start in the fifth set behind Kingsley and Mart. The teams traded points virtually until Miller led 12-10 behind a balanced attack. Miller would score the final three points of the match and won set five 15-11 and the match 3-2.
“These girls didn’t give up and I am so proud of us,” Landers said. “It was a little scary at first, but then we decided heck, we are going to play Miller ball. I call it the Big Red Show and now the Big Red Show is going to the Big Show.”
Kingsley led the Lady Cardinals with 26 kills just ahead of Schnake’s 19. Addison Stockton led the way with 39 digs ahead of Schnake’s 22. Lillie Ricketts led the way with 48 assists. Winona’s defense was busy as the Lady Cardinals recorded 250 attack attempts.
The win finally broke the Winona curse for the Lady Cardinals, and more importantly, gave the defending champions a spot in the championship game against Advance.
Versus Advance Lady Hornets
The Lady Cardinals jumped out to a much better start in the championship match against the Advance Lady Hornets, including scoring nine of the final 10 points to take the opening set 25-11.
Advance’s defense tightened up to open the second set, and carried through to tie the match, taking set two 25-15.
The Lady Cardinals battled back for a 25-21 third set victory.  After Miller was on life support in the semifinal game, The Lady Cardinals were now 25 points away from a second straight state title.
Advance dug in and ended the fourth set with a 13-1 run to tie the tally at two sets apiece.
 Both teams had only seen a single five set match this season before Saturday. Advance lost to Dexter back in September. Miller won their only five set Friday night in the thriller against Winona.
Despite a back and forth fifth set, Advance came out on top in the end, with a 15-12 advantage securing the Class 1 state championship.
Miller’s attack was balanced but was led by Kinsley with 14 Kills. Helton finished with 13 and Schnake had 12. Miller totaled an impressive 157 digs, led by Stockton again with 45. Schnake finished with 35 and Helton and Hill finished with 24 each. Ricketts finished with 22 assists.
The second place finish ends the career of six seniors. Schnake, Kingsley, Stockton, Hill, Mart and Ricketts, who finish their illustrious career as the only class in Miller history with three Final Four appearances. They accumulated a career record of 124-15-5 with four district championships, a third-place finish as sophomores, a runner up as seniors, and a state championship in their historic junior year.
“This group will always be the class that went to three straight Final Fours and broke the Winona curse,” Landers said. “They helped me achieve several of my coaching goals and they will always be very special to me.”