Sports
Ace Nation: Athens finds their groove in sweep over Wellston
By: Hayley Mitchell
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – The Athens Bulldogs hosted the Wellston Rockets on Tuesday for youth night before the in conference volleyball matchup. Last Saturday, the Bulldogs swept the Federal Hocking Lancers and hoped to pull off another victory against Wellston.
Competition was hot in the first set, but the Rockets defense could not keep up with the powerful front lines of Athens. Athens’ Ava Williams’ and Rylee Toadvine’s offensive schemes won the Bulldog’s their first set 25-17.
Athens continued their momentum in the second set with their serving tactics. Each player who went behind the serve line delivered each ball with precision. In the post-game interview, Williams said, “serving and serve receive is definitely really big for us,” Williams said. “We work on it a lot.”
The Bulldogs served up 16 aces total in the game. Libero Alexa Reed was most notable, serving the last 11 points of the set with three straight aces to give Athens the second set 25-9.
The Rockets were not ready to go down without a fight. Their offense managed to score a few points on the Bulldogs at the beginning of the third, but Athens quickly regained control over the ball. After some reluctance to spike the ball over the net, the Bulldogs got into a groove and came back swinging.
The team’s chemistry shone through the set, with each player moving together like an essential part of a well-oiled machine. Gaps in blocks and serve receives were quickly patched and Athens became an unstoppable force. The front line successfully stopped Wellston’s hitters from landing their marks.
Athens’ celebrated as they wrapped up the third set 25-13, winning the match with a sweep to make this their second in a row. Team spirit was high as the players came off the court. The Wellston Rockets played well, but it was Athens’ camaraderie and hard work that secured them the game.
On Thursday, the Bulldogs will host the Meigs Marauders and Wellston will host Nelsonville-York.