The Washington Lady Lion volleyball team hosted the squad from Miami Trace High School as the two teams completed the first round of Frontier Athletic Conference play Tuesday, Sept. 20.
The match was played before a nice-sized crowd filling a good portion of the one set of bleachers employed.
Miami Trace won the match in three sets, 25-16, 25-12 and 25-10.
Miami Trace improves to 5-0 in the FAC, 9-4 overall.
“We have a lot of seniors,” Miami Trace head coach Doug Mace said. “We have some size and in the main positions, we have a lot of experience. I think that was biggest thing for us tonight. We just have several kids with a lot of experience.
“They’ve been playing pretty well,” Mace said. “We’ve had some losses, but, overall, we’ve been playing pretty well this season.
“We were able to play to our strengths,” Mace said. “I think that was the hardest thing for them, to match up with our middles, we’re a good bit bigger. Courtney (Carter) there on the outside had a really nice game tonight. She played probably one of her best all-around games.
“Kinley (Kelley) and Lauren (Farrens) did a nice job when we had them on the outside, too,” Mace said. “We were able to put a nice front row on there. That made it a little challenging for Washington.
“Our girls on the back row, especially Sydney (Carter) and Mary (Pfeifer) and Courtney, they kept a lot of balls back up to the setter,” Mace said. “That gave us more opportunities to swing.”
“We came out a little flat tonight,” Washington head coach Ashley DeAtley said. “What intimidated us a little bit was, they have some very powerful hitters. They are much taller than us, so, at the net, aggressively, they do a good job of putting the ball where our defenders aren’t. That made it hard for us.
“We had a couple of girls who weren’t feeling well, so, that played a part,” DeAtley said. “Miami Trace is a good team, so, that’s always a hard thing when you’re coming up against them. Hopefully next time we can be more focused and be able to compete with them a little bit better.”
Statistically for Miami Trace, Courtney Carter had 13 kills and three blocks; Sophia Parsons had five kills and five blocks; Addyson Butts had 11 kills and two blocks; Gracey Ferguson had 34 set assists and three kills; Lauren Farrens had four kills; McKinley Kelley had one kill and Sydney Carter had one kill.
Statistically for Washington, Calleigh Wead-Salmi had five kills and one solo block. Megan Sever and Isabel Fernandez each had two kills.
Allie Mongold had nine set assists; Maggi Wall had four digs, Mongold had three, Kierstyn Mitchell had three; Sever and Natalie Truex each had one block assist.
Miami Trace won the j-v match in two sets, 25-17 and 25-22.
In the Circleville tournament, Miami Trace beat Portsmouth Notre Dame, 2-0. Miami Trace played Bishop Hartley, the No. 1 team in the State Coaches Poll in Division II and lost that match, 2-0.
Miami Trace also lost to River Valley in two sets.
“Overall, it was good for us because we got out of our back yard and we got to play some teams we don’t see, some really good competition,” Mace said. “Hopefully that’ll help us down the road when we get closer to tournament time.”
Miami Trace plays another FAC match, this time at McClain High School, Thursday.
Washington (1-12) picked up its first win of the season Saturday, Sept. 17 against Whiteoak. The Lady Lions are at Chillicothe Thursday.
