Area volleyball teams begin district play

Published 2:20 pm Monday, October 19, 2026

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Sacred Heart junior Addison Figge bumps the ball during a match against Sweet Springs on Sept. 9. Figge and the Gremlins begin play in the Class 1 District 14 Tournament on Tuesday, Oct. 20. (File photo by Jack Denebeim | Democrat)

A single-elimination tournament stands between every team and a spot in the state bracket.

District volleyball action begins across the area Tuesday, Oct. 20.

Three area schools will host their respective district tournaments, while Smith-Cotton makes a two-hour trip south to Republic.

Here is a breakdown of each tournament:

CLASS 1 DISTRICT 14 TOURNAMENT AT SMITHTON HIGH SCHOOL

Sacred Heart, a district runner-up from a season ago, will look to replicate last year’s run and finish the job as the No. 2 seed in the Class 1 District 14 Tournament at Smithton High School.

The Gremlins (11-14) will play No. 7-seeded Northwest (2-21-3) at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20. No. 4 Otterville and No. 5 La Monte precede that matchup at 5 p.m.

Both Otterville (22-10) and La Monte (16-12-2) are enjoying their best seasons in recent history. The winner of their quarterfinal match will advance to play No. 1-seeded St. Paul Lutheran Concordia (13-12-4) at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21.

No. 3 Smithton (17-14) faces No. 6 Sweet Springs (19-8-2) at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The winner of this matchup will face the winner of Sacred Heart-Northwest at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

The district championship is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22.

CLASS 1 DISTRICT 13 TOURNAMENT AT GREEN RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL

Green Ridge will host the Class 1 District 13 Tournament as the No. 3 seed.

The Lady Tigers (13-17-3) play No. 6 Leeton with Chilhowee (4-20) at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20. The winner advances to play No. 2 Crest Ridge (14-5-2) at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21.

No. 5 Lincoln (7-16-1) faces No. 4 Lakeland (11-11) at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. The winner of this matchup advances to play No. 1 Osceola (23-6-2) at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Both Osceola and Crest Ridge were district champions a season ago.

The district championship match is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22.

CLASS 2 DISTRICT 12 TOURNAMENT AT STOVER HIGH SCHOOL

Stover will host the Class 2 District 12 Tournament. The last time the Lady Bulldogs hosted a district tournament — in 2024 — they won it.

Stover (26-6) is the No. 2 seed and will play No. 7-seeded Windsor (3-17) at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21.

No. 5 Tipton (14-13-1) vs No. 4 Skyline (15-13-4) precedes that match at 5 p.m., while No. 3 Warsaw (20-5-1) vs No. 6 Eugene (11-15-1) follows at 8 p.m.

The winner of the Tipton-Skyline matchup advances to play No. 1-seeded Cole Camp (25-5-2) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22.

The winners of the Stover-Windsor and Warsaw-Eugene matchups will play each other at 6 p.m. Thursday.

The district championship match is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27.

CLASS 5 DISTRICT 5 TOURNAMENT AT REPUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL

Smith-Cotton enters the Class 5 District 5 Tournament at Republic High School as the No. 7 seed. The Lady Tigers (11-17-3) will play No. 2-seeded Nixa (25-8) at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22.

If S-C wins, it would play the winner of No. 3 Kickapoo (18-10) and No. 6 Glendale (14-8-2) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24.

Kickapoo and Glendale face each other at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

The other side of the bracket begins play Wednesday, Oct. 21, with No. 1-seeded Ozark (26-6) facing No. 8 Waynesville (3-22) at 5 p.m. and No. 4 Branson (23-9-2) taking on No. 5 Republic (16-11) at 6:30 p.m.

The winners of those matches will face each other at noon Saturday.

The district championship is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27.

Sports editor Jack Denebeim can be reached at 660-530-0142.