Derrick Webb, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
CIRCLEVILLE — After how her team performed a week prior, Circleville coach Danielle Perkins admitted the group needed a night like they had on Tuesday.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
While celebrating their seniors, the Tigers churned out a dominant straight-set win over county rival Teays Valley and saw libero Chandler Hayes and hitter Morgan Blakeman each record their 1,000th career digs.
“At this point, we needed a recovery,” Perkins said. “We played really bad last week in both games. I don’t know if the girls were coasting or what it was but at the end of the season, we just needed that extra spark. I think that’s what we were able to find tonight.”
Hayes’ 1,000th dig came within the match’s first five serves while Blakeman had to wait until midway through the third set to log hers.
Circleville (18-3, 11-2 MSL) now has three players on its roster with over 1,000 career digs — Hayes, Blakeman and Cara Cooper — while Blakeman has also recorded 1,000-plus kills.
“We play really well for each other,” Perkins said. “We knew there were two teammates with goals to reach, so we were doing whatever it took for those teammates to reach those goals. It’s crazy. I’ve never seen three players that make up 4,000 points on the same team. It’s pretty amazing. The girls are just so excited for their teammates. Our unity played a huge part tonight.”
Teays Valley (7-14, 4-9 MSL) had the hot hand to start the night.
Behind Jennalyn Pence and Baileigh Rieder, who were continuously fed by setter Morgan Keel, the Vikings jumped out to a 6-5 lead before using a 6-0 run to go ahead 11-5, forcing the Tigers into a timeout.
PHOTOS: Images from Circleville’s win over Teays Valley
Circleville’s Gabby McConnell put an end to that streak but Teays Valley still led 14-7 midway through. That’s, however, the exact point where Blakeman decided to take things into her own hands.
The spearheaded a 10-0 run to put the Tigers ahead 17-14 and scored six straight pointsby her lonesome in the midst of that scoring outburst.
“She’s special,” Perkins said of Blakeman. “This senior class, before the game, I was very emotional because these kids are so special to me. We do have that ability, we do have those kids who can take over the game. We just did a great job tonight.”
That 17-14 edge swelled to 20-16 before Blakeman and McConnell put the finishing touches on a 25-18 victory to put Circleville ahead 1-0 in the match.
The second was never, ever close.
Keel gave the Vikings a 1-0 lead with an ace before Circleville ripped off a 15-2 run to take a commanding 15-3 lead. That momentum carried over into the rest of the set as Blakeman, Hayes and Natalie Keaton were magnificent from the service line, powering their team to a 25-6 win.
In the third, the Tigers took a 9-8 lead and never looked back. With a 16-14 lead, Circleville went on an 8-0 run to go ahead 22-14 before eventually putting away a 25-18 victory.
“We’ve learned that we’re better when we’re happy,” Perkins said. “When we find ourselves in an uptight, panicky mood, we play badly. That’s what we were doing last week. We came together tonight, we played loose and we focused on each other.”
Blakeman led the Tigers with 15 kills, four aces, three blocks and 19 digs while Gabby McConnell added 13 kills, 10 digs and 18 assists. Cooper finished with five kills and a team-high 21 digs, and Maggie Gibson chipped in with 14 assists and seven digs.
Teays Valley’s final statistics were not available at the time of publication.
Circleville is back in action on Thursday, ending their regular season slate at Hamilton Township, while the Vikings look to get back on track the same evening, hosting Liberty Union.
“The sky’s the limit for us,” Perkins said. “We’re very good at spreading out our offense and picking each other up, and we’ve got a scrappy defense. Having those two components help us greatly. We just have to tighten up, limit our errors and continue playing like we did tonight.”
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