Brock Netter, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
LOGAN — South Webster, as usual, battled to the bitter end on Thursday.
CREDIT: Cory Hall/SOSA
The Jeeps, facing Byesville Meadowbrook in a Division III regional semifinal at Logan High School, took early leads in all three of the game’s sets and gave the Colts all they could handle throughout the rest of the way.
But in the end, it simply wasn’t enough.
Meadowbrook (24-2) ended South Webster’s magnificent season in straight sets — a 25-23, 25-19, 25-22 final — to advance to Saturday’s regional championship.
Meadowbrook relied on its power at the net while the Jeeps (23-3) relied on their experience and scrappiness.
While the experience paid off in moments, the power game was ultimately too much down the stretch for the to handle.
“I think they showed a lot of grit and perseverance out there. I’m really proud of them,” South Webster coach Darcee Claxon said. “That second set was rough at times and [Meadowbrook] had a pretty big lead on us. But they didn’t quit and they didn’t give up. That’s something that we talked about, especially in one of the timeouts. I told them, ‘This is not who we are. We do not quit.’ They continued to work.”
South Webster couldn’t have asked for a better start as back-to-back aces from Bella Claxon and a block from Makayla Raynard had the Jeeps out to a 6-1 lead in the first set. Meadowbrook swiftly answered with a 6-0 run behind Kendyl Cannon to take a 7-6 lead.
Ties and lead changes took center stage as the two bulls locked horns and tried to get the upper hand on one another. Tied at 15-15, Meadowbrook rattled off five of the next six points with Taylor Sichina at the service line to take a 20-16 lead.
WATCH: Division III Regional Semifinal: South Webster vs. Meadowbrook
South Webster found itself down 23-17, but battled back with a 5-0 run courtesy of Addison Claxon and Skylar Zimmerman to trim the advantage to 23-22. In the end, though, a pair of kills from Cannon claimed the first set for the Colts.
The Jeeps controlled the opening moments of the second, but wasn’t able to sustain any of that momentum.
Trailing 10-9, the Colts began to surge and proceeded to put together a 9-0 run — in large part due to a pair of aces from Sichina and a pair of kills from Megan Devillez, which gave them an 18-10 lead.
South Webster fought back, narrowing the lead to 19-15, but the Colts had too much gas left in their tank as they went on a 4-0 run before closing out the win for a 2-0 match lead.
Starting the set hot wasn’t the issue for the Jeeps. It was maintaining that energy that showed to be their Achilles’ heel.
They maintained an early lead, but a kill from Cannon and an unforced error put the Colts in front at 10-9. The Jeeps continued to fight as back-to-back kills from Natalie Adkins tied the game at 12-12 before they later took a 16-15 lead following an ace from Bella Claxon.
CREDIT: Cory Hall/SOSA
Neither team held a lead greater than two points throughout the next 11 serves until Cannon and Cami Black had seen enough. Tied 22-22, they each ripped kills down the stretch to help push the Colts past the finish line and end the Jeeps’ season.
“At the end of the day, they battled tremendously,” Darcee Claxon said. “But sometimes, that’s just not enough and it wasn’t. But they gave their all. I can’t be upset with their effort.”
South Webster, which ends its year as SOC II, sectional and district champions, now say goodbye to two seniors in Adkins and Riley Raynard.
“Ry and Nat, I’m just really proud of them and how they stuck with it,” Darcee Claxon said. “They were committed and that’s paid off. Three SOC II championships is special. That’s what South Webster volleyball is. Your work hard and you’re a part of something special. We’re going to miss them. They’re great kids.”
NOTE: SOSA will have additional details and photos from tonight’s game later this evening.
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