Sports
Ace Nation: Bulldogs sweep Shermans to move on to the District Semi-Finals
By: Greta Gunderson
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THE PLAINS, Ohio (WOUB) — The Athens Bulldogs hosted the Unioto Shermans in the District Quarter-Final on Monday. The Bulldogs swept the Shermans, keeping their playoff hopes alive.
In the first set Athens came out on fire from behind the service line. The Bulldogs jumped out to a four-point lead behind the serving of Liza Hartman. Athens’s success from behind the service line continued with four aces in a row from Alexa Reed putting the Bulldogs up nine to one. The Bulldogs and Shermans went back-and-forth, but that was not enough for Unioto to overcome Athens’s lead. A kill from Ava Meili put the Bulldogs up seventeen to seven forcing a Sherman timeout. Coming out of the timeout Unioto went on a three-point run but ultimately, there was no stopping Athens. The Bulldogs went on to win the set 25 to 13.
The second set started off close, but Athens began to pull away. A kill from Rylee Toadvine put the Bulldogs ahead seven to three. Athens continued to put pressure on the Shermans with an ace from Reed giving the Bulldogs a five-point lead and forcing a Unioto timeout. Out of the timeout the Shermans came alive with four kills from Kyra Stulley and two from Alli Park. Unioto cut Athens’s lead to one and the Bulldogs called timeout. From then on it was neck-and-neck, with both teams tallying kill after kill. Another kill from Stulley put the Shermans up 22 to 20 and Athens called another timeout. This turned out to be exactly what the Bulldogs needed to gain momentum. Athens went on a five-point service run to finish out the set 25 to 22 with an ace from Maeve Schwarzel.
The third set was make or break for Unioto. The Shermans came out fired up but the Bulldogs had an answer. Reed went on a six-point service run, five of the points scored being aces. Reed finished the match being a difference maker for the Bulldogs with 11 aces.
Reed says when she gets back to the service line, she just tries to get the ball over and in the court, “Every time I serve I try to hit it harder each time, so I build up my confidence as I go.”
Despite the Bulldogs eight to three lead Unioto bounced right back. Three kills in a row from Stulley tied the set up at nine a piece. Both teams battled relentlessly going point-for-point. Athens found separation, capitalizing off of Sherman errors, pushing to a 20 to 15 lead causing Unioto to call a timeout. The Shermans found momentum and were able to eventually tie up the score at 23 with a kill from Jade Stewart. Unioto overcame the Bulldogs with a kill from Stulley and had set point up 24 to 23. Athens called a timeout to regroup and found the spark they needed. The Bulldogs won the set on back-to-back kills from Meili, 26 to 24 and completed the sweep. Athens now looks ahead to their next matchup of tournament play.
Head Coach Hailee Hart says she told her team to not count themselves out, “They are the underdogs but can definitely still attack and get the job done.”
The Bulldogs will travel to Marietta to take on the Tigers in the District Semi-Final on Thursday.