Sports
Ace Nation: Waterford’s playoff run ends at hands of Shekinah Christian
By: Charlie Lusk
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PICKERINGTON, Ohio (WOUB) — On Thursday, the Waterford Wildcats traveled to Pickerington North High School to take on the Shekinah Christian Flames in a regional semi-final matchup. In their previous game, the Wildcats took the district title in a five-set upset of one seed Southern. With a regional title under their belt, these underdogs were feeling confident going into regional play.
Despite the confidence, their momentum came to a screeching halt. The Wildcat defense could not create chances for their front row as the Flames’ attack overpowered them. Shekinah got to a blazing start taking the first set 25-10. After a disastrous set, Waterford regrouped and showed the grit and power they had all season.
The second set had the same result, but the energy was fully elevated. The Wildcats were much sharper on both sides of the court. Waterford, off the back of Libero Maya Wilson, was sharper and more dynamic defensively. This allowed them to keep in more long rallies and force hitting errors on the Flames’ side.
Both teams were within two points of each other for most of the set as they elevated their play. Despite the Wildcats leading halfway through the second set, Shekinah Christian would pull through with their offensive firepower.
With Waterford down two sets, Shekinah Christian was looking eager to take the third to complete the sweep. This, however, proved to be a tall task as the elevated play made the game uncomfortable for both teams. After having a solid, but quiet game so far, Waterford middle hitter Avery Wagner was nearly unstoppable in the 3rd set. Her seven kills allowed the Wildcats to go up 24-21, just one point from stealing a set from the Flames.
Unfortunately for Waterford, the grit and talent on display by Shekinah Christian was too much for them to close out. The Flames would grab a kill, and ace, and take that momentum to close the game with a 6-1 run. The Wildcats were a sharp and fearsome unit in the third set but had one thing holding them back: missed serves. Waterford missed five serves in the third set. Despite building on the previous sets and outplaying Shekinah Christian, the missed serves ended up being their undoing.
After a long and determined season, the Waterford’s campaign ends in the regional semi-finals. As for Shekinah Christian, they hope to build on the sweep into the regional final and further.