VANDALIA — Sidney opened tournament play by beating an opponent for the third time this season on Tuesday. Now the squad will try not to be beaten by an opponent for the third time this year.
The Yellow Jackets beat Fairborn 25-17, 25-19, 18-25, 25-17 in a Division I sectional semifinal at Vandalia-Butler’s Student Activity Center.
It was the squad’s third victory of the season over the Skyhawks. Sidney (12-11) beat Fairborn 3-2 on Aug. 23 and 3-1 on Sept. 19 in Miami Valley League play.
The Aug. 23 meeting in Fairborn was a close match, which Sidney won by squeaking out a 15-11 victory in the fifth set. The Yellow Jackets had an easier time on Sept. 19 and dominated early on Tuesday before starting flat in the third set.
After a slow start in the third set, they rallied late and pulled as close as four points before losing 25-18. But they carried the momentum into the fourth game, built a big early lead and closed out the set after some late miscues allowed Fairborn to close an 11-point gap down as close as six.
“I think we’re coming together as a team,” Sidney first-year coach Dexter Tobie said. “I think our seniors definitely stepped it up today, especially Anna Brady in the middle. Today was her game. She showed us from serving to defense to swinging, blocking, attacking that she was on it.”
Brady, a middle hitter, had a team-high five aces and three blocks and also had 11 kills. Senior outside hitter Allie Stockton had 14 kills while junior Kyla Rush and senior Shelbie Miller each had seven.
Brady matched a season-high mark for kills; she also had 11 in a 3-2 win over Greenville in the squad’s regular-season finale on Thursday.
Tobie said he’s happy Brady has been playing well late.
“A lot of teams put a lot of emphasis on our outside hitters, but I think our middles are key,” Tobie said. “They start our defense. Anna definitely did today. She shined today.”
Senior Kennah Herrick had four aces, as did freshman Alena Swearingen. Herrick led the squad with 19 digs, while Rush had 11 and senior Macie Brautigam had eight. Swearingen had 27 assists while Brautigam had eight.
“Everybody stepped up,” Tobie said. “I don’t think we had low moments. I think everybody helped maintain that level playing field and kept the energy going.
Sidney, which was voted the sectional’s No. 10 seed, advances to face No. 7 Vandalia-Butler in a sectional final on Thursday.
The Aviators (14-9) beat Sidney 3-2 on Aug. 30 and 3-1 on Sept. 27.
While Sidney was able to stay close in both matches, it couldn’t recover after losing the first game in each match.
“I think that we can compete with Butler. I just think we dealt with lack of focus in (both regular-season matches),” Tobie said. “I’m excited. I think the girls are excited about it, too. It’s nice to see that we’re representing the division pretty well. I’m looking forward (to Thursday).”
Fairlawn upsets Newton in sectional opener
After closing regular season with a 3-1 loss to Newton, Fairlawn opened postseason play by beating the Indians 3-2 on Tuesday at Arcanum High School.
The Jets lost 25-23, 25-21, 27-25, 25-18 on Thursday in Pleasant Hill but won 26-24, 10-25, 25-23, 15-25, 15-9 on Tuesday in Arcanum.
It was only the second loss of the season for the No. 4 seed Indians (21-2), which finished second in Western Ohio Athletic League standings.
Fairlawn (11-12) which was voted the Dayton D-IV sectional’s No. 8 seed, advances to play No. 7 Cedarville (17-5) in a sectional final on Thursday in Arcanum.
Easy start for Fort Loramie, Jackson Center
Jackson Center and Fort Loramie cruised in their D-IV sectional tournament openers.
The No. 3 seed Tigers (16-7) beat Twin Valley South 25-2, 25-12, 25-6 on Monday in Arcanum and were scheduled to face Springfield Emmanuel Christian on Wednesday. If victorious, they’ll play in a district semifinal on Monday, likely against South Charleston Southeastern.
Fort Loramie (17-6) opened by beating Bradford 25-3, 25-10, 25-10 on Tuesday at Troy High School. The Redskins are scheduled to face Troy Christian on Saturday and if victorious will play in a district semifinal on Tuesday, likely against Franklin-Monroe.
No. 1 seed Russia (17-5) was scheduled to open postseason play on Wednesday against Dayton Jefferson.
New Bremen finishes as D-IV poll champs
New Bremen finishes regular-season play as the top-ranked team in the Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association Division IV poll, while Midwest Athletic Conference rival Marion Local was ranked No. 2.
The Cardinals (21-1, 8-1 MAC), which finished first in conference standings, could get a rematch with the Flyers (18-4, 7-2) in a district final. If both teams advance, they’ll face off at Wapakoneta High School on Oct. 27. Marion Local beat New Bremen 3-1 in a MAC match on Sept. 20.
Russia finished ranked No. 5 in Div. IV while Fort Loramie was ranked No. 7 and Jackson Center was ranked No. 15. Minster (11-12, 2-7) was ranked No. 19.
Versailles (17-6, 6-3) finished with the No. 3 ranking in D-III.
