Izzy Herrbold News Today

A total of 11 area players were selected to the Missouri High School Volleyball Coaches Association all-state team earlier this month. The Jefferson City Lady Jays and the Blair Oaks Lady Falcons each had three all-state honorees. Helias, California, Eldon, Southern Boone and Versailles each had one player named to the all-state team.

The Jefferson City area had a pair of All-American volleyball players this fall, the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced last Wednesday. Blair Oaks right-side hitter Autumn Bax and Helias libero Izzy Herrbold were two of 200 high school girls volleyball players from across the country who were selected to the AVCA All-American team.

The Helias Lady Crusaders never gave in. Helias held off seven set points in the second set and came back from a five-point deficit in the third to sweep the Capital City Lady Cavaliers 25-23, 26-24, 25-23 during Wednesday night’s first round of the Class 4 District 5 Tournament at Fleming Fieldhouse.

With the calendar turning the page to the month of October, it very much felt like postseason volleyball Tuesday night at Blair Oaks High School. In a match that was a constant back-and-forth battle, the Blair Oaks Lady Falcons had the final run that secured a 25-19, 24-26, 25-21, 29-27 victory against the Helias Lady Crusaders.

It was for the best Monday night’s matchup between the Helias Lady Crusaders the Capital City Lady Cavaliers was played under rally scoring and not side out scoring. Otherwise, they both still might have been on the volleyball court into the wee hours of the morning. In what was a defensive battle, the Lady Crusaders used strong finishes in all three sets to pull away to a 25-22, 25-17, 25-23 victory in Central Missouri Activities Conference play against the Lady Cavaliers at Capital City High...

The Helias Lady Crusaders got started quickly in their home opener. The Lady Crusaders jumped ahead 13-2 to open the match at Rackers Fieldhouse and kept the momentum throughout Tuesday night on the way to a 25-12, 25-16, 25-15 sweep of the Fatima Lady Comets.

The group of eight seniors for the Helias Lady Crusaders refused to let their high school volleyball careers end Tuesday night on the floor of Fleming Fieldhouse. The Lady Crusaders dropped the first two sets, but they rallied to win the final three to claim the Class 4 District 5 title against the Jefferson City Lady Jays with a 19-25, 20-25, 25-21, 25-20, 15-12 victory.

The nerves of the playoffs didn’t get to the Helias Lady Crusaders. Before the match and between sets the Lady Crusaders danced and sang, especially when “Cotton Eye Joe” came on between the second and third set. But once the whistle sounded, it was all business Monday for Helias as the No. 2 seed Lady Crusaders swept the No. 6 seed Bolivar Liberators, 25-21, 25-6, 25-15, in the semifinals of the Class 4 District 5 Tournament at Fleming Fieldhouse.

GRAIN VALLEY — The Helias Lady Crusaders came away with a second-place finish Saturday in the Grain Valley Tournament with a 4-1-1 record.

It was comeback after comeback. The Helias Lady Crusaders survived back-and-forth sets all night to take a 25-23, 25-23, 11-25, 25-18 win Tuesday night against the Jefferson City Lady Jays at Fleming Fieldhouse.