Ozark outside hitters Tara Venable and Aubrey Browning delivered when the Lady Tigers needed them the most Saturday.
Venable and Browning combined for 20 kills in Ozark’s 25-19, 25-19, 25-21 Class 5 Quarterfinal victory versus Blue Springs South.
The Lady Tigers (37-3) earned their first State berth in seven years.
Coach Adeanna Brewer praised both Venable and Browning for performing so well under pressure.
“Tara thrives in clutch situations,” Brewer said. “She has another gear she's able to find both offensively and defensively.
"I'm going to call Aubrey clutch," she added. "In the games that matter and when everything is on the line, she has found a way to be clutch. She found ways to score points in her three rotations. Seeing and executing are two different things. She has been able to execute in a very timely manner.”
Venable, who also had three blocks and three aces, led Ozark’s comeback from a five-point deficit in the third set. She shined all over the court. During one memorable sequence, she made a fully-extended save with her right hand and followed up with a kill with her left hand.
"That was a crazy play. Tara earned that point completely by herself,” Brewer said.
The sequence brought out a roar of approval from Ozark’s fans. It even surprised Venable herself.
“Sometimes, I'll think, 'Oh, I can't believe I got to that,’” she said. “I have so much trust in my teammates that I know if I just throw my arm out and it's a decent pass, someone will get to it.”
Browning teamed with Brinley Watson for a block-kill for Ozark’s 24th point in the third set.
“That block was insane because that was against one of their most powerful hitters,” Browning said.
Browning owned the second set, proving wildly efficient at the net.
"It was kind of a blur during that set. But afterward, hearing from everyone how they thought I did great, it was a great feeling,” Browning said. “I was just doing what the team needed me to do at that moment.”
“She knows when her team needs her to score points,” Brewer said. “Having her as my second-outside (hitter) being able to put points on the board really balances our offense. I'm super proud of her. She's considered under-sized as an outside attacker. She's someone I saw developing last year as a sophomore. I knew Aubrey, this year, was ready to fill the other outside role.”
Ozark received 34 assists from Reece Cook and 10 kills and two blocks from Skylar Hilton.
Looking ahead to State, Brewer hopes the Lady Tigers can be in-system a bit more than they were Saturday.
“We struggled a little in our serve-receive line,” she said. “It wasn't bad. But it was inconsistent. We have to find consistency in our serve-receive. That will allow us to run our offense more balanced and more efficiently.”
