A Tournament That Means More Than Volleyball
The Pinkfest Tournament continues to be an important event for Lebanon volleyball, bringing 16 teams to town for a full day of competition.
Coach Collins expressed appreciation for Missouri Cooperage of Lebanon, whose continued sponsorship helps make the varsity and JV tournament possible each year. The partnership also helps provide hospitality for visiting teams and coaches, making the tournament a welcoming experience for everyone involved.
Lebanon volleyball turned in a strong showing Saturday at its annual Missouri Cooperage Pinkfest Tournament, with both the varsity and JV VolleyJackets finishing third overall.
The varsity went 5-1 on the day, falling only to eventual tournament champion Marshfield in the semifinals before bouncing back to defeat COC opponent Willard in a three-set third-place match.
Lebanon opened the day with three wins in pool play, defeating Bolivar 25-14, 25-12, Hermann 25-13, 25-14, and Columbia Hickman 25-13, 25-23. The undefeated start earned the VolleyJackets the top spot in their pool and set up a bracket-opening matchup with Union.
Lebanon continued its strong play with a 25-13, 25-14 victory over Union before running into Marshfield in the semifinals.
The matchup carried some additional significance with district tournament seeding already determined. Marshfield earned the No. 3 seed, while Lebanon enters district play as the No. 4 seed.
The VolleyJackets battled but fell 25-19, 26-24 in two competitive sets. Serving and serve receive proved costly, with Lebanon committing a combined 12 errors in those areas. The mistakes were especially difficult to overcome in a second set decided by just two points.
Despite the semifinal loss, Lebanon still had an opportunity to finish the day with a win.
And Willard wasn’t going to make that easy.
The Tigers took the opening set of the third-place match 25-17, putting Lebanon in a position where it needed to win two straight sets to bring home third place.
The VolleyJackets responded.
Lebanon won the second set 25-23 before closing out the match with a 25-20 victory in the third. The comeback was another encouraging sign for Coach Jenny Collins, who has continued to emphasize composure, defensive discipline and trusting teammates through difficult stretches.
Collins was pleased with the team’s commitment to improving, particularly with limited practice opportunities during a busy stretch of the schedule. The VolleyJackets have continued working on defensive consistency, transitioning into their offense and maintaining positive energy when things aren’t going their way.
Saturday’s third-place match offered a good example of that progress.
Individually, Livia Ahmann led Lebanon with 68 kills across the tournament, along with 10 aces, 26 digs and five kill blocks.
Rikki Reimers added 24 kills and a team-high 33 digs, while Kenzie Uder contributed 18 kills and 31 digs. Anora Haney finished with 15 kills, while Payton Fort and Harper Starnes each recorded 12.
Ahmann and Brayli Ogle shared the team lead with 10 aces apiece. Graicyn Hazlewood added seven, Starnes six and Uder five.
JV VolleyJackets Also Bring Home Third Place
Lebanon’s JV team matched the varsity with a third-place finish, putting together a strong day that included consistent defensive effort and improved execution at the net.
The JV split sets with Willard in pool play, 25-19 and 20-25, before defeating Marion C. Early 25-14, 25-15. Lebanon then split with Columbia Hickman, falling 23-25 before winning 25-16.
In bracket play, the VolleyJackets defeated Central 25-12, 25-14 to advance to the semifinals against Carl Junction.
Lebanon battled through three sets but came up short, 18-25, 25-21, 7-15.
Like the varsity, the JV team had an opportunity to finish the tournament with a win over Willard.
This time, Lebanon left little doubt.
The VolleyJackets swept the third-place match 25-12, 25-15 to finish the tournament on a positive note.
Coach Cori Johnson was pleased with her team’s communication, energy and determination throughout the day. Lebanon dropped just four of the 13 sets it played, with several players showing improvement in their execution at the net.
Jara Milligan, Ty Weaver and Allie Tipton contributed strong offensive play, while Keely Uder, Weaver, Leiah Kavanaugh and Tipton helped lead an aggressive defensive effort.
Milligan finished with a team-high 32 kills, followed by Weaver with 27 and Tipton with 21. Lauren Ledbetter recorded 89 assists and 14 aces, while Keely Uder added 11 aces and a team-high 60 digs.
Although the JV team fell short of reaching the championship match, its response in the third-place match was a positive way to close the tournament.
With another Pinkfest Tournament complete, the VolleyJackets now turn their attention to the final week of regular-season competition.
Lebanon travels to Ozark on Tuesday before visiting Glendale on Thursday. The freshman team will wrap up its week Saturday at the Waynesville Tournament.
For the varsity, Saturday’s performance offered plenty of encouragement heading into the final stretch. Five wins, a comeback against a conference opponent and another opportunity to measure themselves against a district rival.
There’s still work to do, but the VolleyJackets have some momentum to build on as postseason play approaches.