ATTICA — They split during the regular season, but more than bragging rights were on the line Wednesday at Seneca East High School when Lexington and Madison volleyball squads met for a third time.
A trip to the Division II district championship game hung in the balance.
Led by junior All-Ohioan Mackenzie Weaver, third-seeded Lady Lex rolled to a 25-20, 22-25, 25-16, 25-14 win over the second-seeded Rams. Lexington (20-5) will play No. 1 seed Norwalk for the district title at 3 p.m. Saturday at Seneca East. The Truckers beat Galion in Wednesday’s early match.
Lexington led 17-12 in the second game before Madison (19-6) came to life. The Rams, ranked ninth in Division II in the final Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches state poll (Lexington was 16th), closed on a 13-5 run and raced out to an 11-8 lead in the third before Lady Lex coach Bobbi Weaver called timeout.
Lexington responded with a 17-5 run, including the game’s final nine points to break a 16-16 tie.
“That is a maturity thing,” Weaver said, adding her team might have folded earlier in the season. “Cheap lawn chairs I called them. We are not a cheap lawn chair anymore.
“They have learned to … trust each other.”
All-Ohio candidate Alannah Lemming agreed.
“(It was) definitely coming together as one and playing as a team,” said the 6-foot-2 Lemming, who has verbally committed to Wright State.
Lexington closed out the fourth game on an 8-1 run to secure the victory.
“Overall I think we played a good match,” Madison coach Brian Votaw said. “I think we had a lead in every set except the fourth.”
End of an Era: Votaw will lose six talented seniors to graduation.
“These seniors are tremendous young ladies,” he said. “They worked their tails off and fought through injuries all year long. I’ll miss them.
“After those six are gone it’s going to be a whole different ball game now. This is going to be a new era.”
Another rematch: Lexington, meanwhile, will prepare for a rematch with Norwalk. Lady Lex beat the Truckers early in the season.
“Since we beat them before I fee like we’re going to have a lot more momentum going into it,” Lemming said. “We’re definitely not going to overlook them.
“It’s going to be a struggle but we’re definitely going to get through it if we play together.”
