Sports
Ace Nation: The Bulldogs grab their 6th win of the season
By: Sofi Houg
Posted on:
ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – The Athens Bulldogs swept the Vinton County Vikings in a speedy three-set match on Tuesday night.
As the first serve went live, Athens quickly racked up points, going on a 4-1 run leading the Vikings to take an early timeout. Vinton County scored quickly out of the break and was full of energy. However, the defense was setting the offense up for success, which led the Bulldogs to take the first set, 25-14.
“Usually, we get a disco going in the locker room with our song Juju on that beat,” Senior Alexa Reed said. “We just dance and get hype so that the energy is up before the game. Because if the energy is down, we will not start good.”
Both teams came out aggressive to start the second set and stayed consistent. About midway through the set, the Vikings found themselves tied for the first time that evening. After an urgent timeout called by Athens head coach Hailee Hart, the Bulldogs found their groove again and won the second set 25-17.
Moving into the third set, the Bulldogs found points fast and maintained a steady lead, bringing lots of energy to the Athens bench. With only a few rallies remaining before match point, the Bulldogs scored several aces in a row bringing Athens total to 19 aces for the night.
“We’ve been working on consistent, aggressive serves and using the one, two, three rule,” head coach Hailee Hart said. “We just pick a small spot, aim small and miss small.”
Rylee Toadvine played a consistent game on the offensive end. She finished the game with 10 kills, one coming at the end of the game. This play led Athens to take the match 25 to 8, sweeping the Vikings.
The Vinton County Vikings will host the Alexander Spartans on Thursday. The Athens Bulldogs will travel to take on The Golden Rockets Wellston on Tuesday.