ALLIANCE — For the second year in a row, West Branch saw its volleyball season halted by the same opponent in a district semifinal.
The third-seeded Mentor Lake Catholic Cougars eliminated the seventh-seeded Warriors 25-9, 25-13, 25-23 in a Division II district semifinal played in Alliance High School’s Harry Fails Gymnasium Wednesday evening.
Last season, the Cougars ousted the Warriors 3-1 in a district semifinal match played in Mentor.
The Warriors fell behind early, dropping one-sided outcomes in the first two sets. The Warriors fought back and led at several junctures in the third set but the Cougars rallied late to secure the match and advance to the district final
“We came out tight, we only have one senior and we got some experience last year with the underclassmen, but it’s still not the same and we’re hoping next year (the experience pays off),” said West Branch head coach Penny DeShields.
Leading West Branch were Sydney Mercer (seven kills), Ragan Greeniesen (11 digs) and Hannah Rush (11 assists, three points, including two aces). Mercer and Claire Brunner led in blocks.
Lake Catholic took a 10-2 advantage in the first set as West Branch had several unforced errors which enabled the Cougars, champions of the Crown Conference, to post a 25-10 win. West Branch took a 1-0 lead in the second set but was unable to keep momentum as Lake Catholic took over again and went out to a 16-8 advantage and went on to win, 25-13.
West Branch was able to settle down and played very well in the third set as the Warriors took a 16-13 advantage at one point. But the Cougars outscored the Warriors 12-5 to win the set and match by a 25-23 final.
Marlington, the fifth-seed in the district, defeated the fourth-seeded Kenston Bombers in the second half of Wednesday’s district twin-bill, 3-1 at Alliance and will play Mentor Lake Catholic for the district crown Saturday at 1 p.m. at Alliance High School. The two teams played for a district title last season with the Cougars winning 3-2.
Wednesday’s loss to Mentor Lake Catholic ended another fine season for West Branch which finished 20-5 overall and was runner-up to Marlington in the final Eastern Buckeye Conference standings. It’s the first time the school has won 20 matches in a season in many years.
“We’ve made it to this (district semifinal game) two years in a row,” praised DeShields of her team’s great season.
"Exit" - Google News
October 28, 2021 at 11:11AM
https://ift.tt/3CsCAdy
Warriors exit against a tough opponent | News, Sports, Jobs - SalemNews.net
"Exit" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2zNkU0N
https://ift.tt/2YrnuUx
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Warriors exit against a tough opponent | News, Sports, Jobs - SalemNews.net"
Post a Comment