Sports
Ace Nation: The Valley Indians Sweep Nelsonville-York in District Semi-Finals
< < Back toWELLSTON, Ohio (WOUB) — The Nelsonville-York Buckeyes ended their season with a tough loss, falling in three sets to the Valley Indians in the District Semi-Finals.
The matchup took place at Wellston High School late Wednesday night, but both teams still showed up energized, filling the gym with intensity and excitement.
The opening set started neck-and-neck, with the score tied 6 to 6 as both teams traded points. Valley’s EJ Vice took control soon after, delivering six kills that forced the Buckeyes into disarray.
The Indians, however, faced their own struggles with several net violations. Despite the setbacks, they continued to dominate at the net and secured the first set 25 to 22.
Returning to the court determined to dictate the pace, Valley jumped out to a 5 to 0 lead in the second set as Nelsonville-York was still recovering from the first. The Buckeye defense found themselves on their heels while Valley set up two powerhouse hitters across the net. Valley’s Mya Williams and Kendyl Christman made their presence known, tallying nine kills in the set.
The third set continued with the momentum fully in Valley’s favor as they surged to a 9 to 3 lead. Aces stacked up, kills kept coming, and the Indians never looked back. They finished the sweep with a 25 to 14 victory, advancing to the District Finals.
Valley will face Beaver Eastern on Saturday. As for the Buckeyes, they conclude their season with a 12 and 12 record.
Nelsonville-York Head Coach Wayne Dicken reflected on his team’s growth this year, “I think we are a young team, and we grew a lot throughout this season. Coming into this year, Cat Dixon was the only one who played full time for us last year. Madi Pidcock stepped up for us in the tournament. We took some big strides to get better moving into the next season. Obviously, we will miss our seniors, Lexi Warren and Katie McKinney. They were great leaders on and off the floor, and we will miss them tremendously. But we just talked in the locker room, and these girls are ready to get to work — now we know the level we need to play at to make it back to the district championship.”
Valley moves on to the district championship against the Beaver Eastern Eagles on Saturday at Wellston High School.