The Fulton Lady Hornets volleyball team will be hoping to get a chance to defend its Class 3, District 9 title before its home fans.
No. 2 seed Fulton will square off against No. 3 Kirksville in the District 9 semifinals at 6:45 tonight at Roger D. Davis Gymnasium. The Lady Hornets (17-13-2) advanced with a 25-16, 25-7 first-round victory over No. 7 Mexico on Monday night.
Kirksville reached the semifinals with a 25-16, 25-9 triumph over No. 6 Southern Boone in first-round play.
Fulton won two of its three meetings against Kirksville during the regular season. The Lady Hornets downed the Lady Tigers 25-16, 25-23 on Sept. 10 in the 25th-annual Fulton Invitational. Fulton then suffered an 11-25, 25-17, 25-21 setback in a North Central Missouri Conference match at Kirksville on Sept. 13.
The Lady Hornets avenged that loss with a 25-15, 25-20 triumph on Oct. 6 in Fulton.
Top-seeded Boonville faces No. 4 Eldon in the first District 9 semifinal at 5:30 this afternoon. Boonville received a first-round bye, while Eldon advanced with a 2-1 win over No. 5 School of the Osage.
The championship match will follow the Fulton-Kirksville semifinal at 8 tonight.