Richland County teams Lexington, Madison, and Ontario were all on the bill Wednesday at Mansfield Sr. High for some division II sectional championship play. Lady Lex squared off against the Lady Tigers of Galion, and the wrecking-ball Lady Rams played the Ontario Lady Warriors.
First to play was Lexington and Galion. Lady Lex won the first, second, and fourth set to walk away with the match.
“Believe it or not, we practice that [coming from behind] every day. We play in a tough conference in the OCC. So coming into tournament time, they know what’s expected,” Lexington head coach, Bobbi Weaver, said through a smile.
Lady Lex struggled out of the gate but found their way by remaining calm and executing. They found themselves fighting from behind in each set except for the fourth set.
Lexington came from behind in the first two sets, winning 25-21 and 25-13. In the third set, the Lady Tigers set the tone and did everything they could to take the set, which they did, 25-20.
When asked about how she fired up her team after the third set, Bobbi Weaver said: “Well I can give you the edited version: ‘It’s time to get up, focus and fight, and do your job.’” And that is precisely what they did. In the fourth set, Lexington took control early and never looked back. They finished the match with an exclamation point off of three straight kills—two from Alannah Lemming and the final from Mackenzie Weaver.
Weaver had a superb night, finishing with twenty kills and eight blocks, but it was her presence as a leader that truly set her apart.
Kaitlin Hunter was the top sever, racking up eleven points and two aces, and Ellie Guth finished the night with 37 assists, helping Lady Lex approve to 16-7 on the season.
The second match was between the Lady Rams and the Lady Warriors. The Rams dominated most of the match, finishing in just three sets with finals of 25-8, 25-20, and 25-8.
The Rams dominated in the first and third sets, but what happened in the second?
Head Coach Brian Votaw identified that his OHSVCA #3 ranked team has battled complacency during their successful 2013 campaign. “I think in the second set we had a little mental lapse. We have kind of done that all season long,” he said. “We come in and play well against teams, and I think we have a tendency to just sometimes relax no matter who we’re playing.”
But the Rams did not relax in the third set, coming out with a ten point run. With the opening run of ten and another run of seven points later in the set, the Rams took the match with ease.
Looking ahead to next week, Votaw looks for the Lady Rams to improve in one key area. “I think we have to improve on our mental toughness again. It is something that we have struggled with all year long,” Votaw said.
For the Rams, Alexandra Brown finished with four aces, and Mekaila Grose slammed home eleven kills. Liz Sutter also finished with thirteen digs on the night, and Kamilla Brown dropped in nine kills. The Lady Rams are now 23-2 on the season.
Both teams will play in the OHSAA Division II Attica district semifinals on Wednesday, October 20 at Seneca East High. Lexington will play at 6 p.m. and the Rams will play at 7:30 p.m.
