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WAVERLY — Facing match point in Saturday’s first set, like so many other times this season, Adena asked Katie Burns to put on her cape and fly her team to victory.
The junior hitter, with the flair for dramatic, did just that.
After a hitting error brought the Warriors to within two points at 24-22, Burns teamed up with Caroline Glandon for a block, tallied a solo block of her own to force a 24-24 tie, and then gave her team the lead with a kill.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
When she logged a second consecutive kill on the next sequence, Adena (22-3) had a 26-24 win and had taken the proverbial wind out of New Lexington’s sails.
The end of that first set was the turning point of a straight-set win over the Panthers in a Division V district championship match — a 26-24, 25-18, 25-19 final that marked the 38th district crown in Adena’s storied history.
“These girls know each other’s abilities and they play to everyone’s abilities,” Adena coach Laura Smith said. “When they need a point, they know how to get it. They know who to go to and how to do it. They’re starting to help our attackers, they’re communicating better and they’re pretty good about watching a team play and figuring out what their weaknesses are.”
“My three assistant coaches [Donna Atchison, Monica Halm and Makenna Lovely] are awesome,” Smith added. “One watches the defense, one watches [the opponent’s] offense and the other tracks serves and serve-receive. I kind of watch it as a whole. They’re good at it. You need people like them on your side.”
New Lexington (19-6) came into the district tournament with a ton of upside. The Panthers’ five losses came at the hands of quality programs — twice to Meadowbrook, and Sheridan, Coshocton and Logan — and they rode in on an eight-game win streak.
And while Burns and her fellow bash sister, Corrine Day, were phenomenal all afternoon, the Panthers just couldn’t find holes in Adena’s defense. Or maybe there weren’t any.
Led by SVC Defensive Player of the Year Kimmy Dalton, alongside Kamryn Sowers, Jacey Smith, Kayla Grooms and the combination of Burns and Day at the net, the Warriors simply smothered New Lexington’s attack.
“This is like an Adena team of old,” Smith said. “We didn’t have anyone that was six feet tall. We had good teams then. But we learned to play short. You had to play good defense because you didn’t have the block. Now, we’re playing good defense and our block is starting to do some good things. It’s getting there.”
The first set was indeed a back-and-forth affair and saw five lead changes within the first 15 serves. The Warriors, behind Day, were able to create some breathing room at 12-8 and later went ahead 15-12.
But New Lexington forced a 17-17 tie and later took a 22-21 lead. When the Panthers polished off a 4-0 burst, they had match point and Adena on the ropes.
That’s when Burns played her superhero role to a tee, carrying her teammates to a 26-24 come-from-behind victory.
PHOTOS: Images from Adena’s district title win over New Lexington
“I think I told the girls to feed the horse,” Smith said. “We had two blocks and Katie got a kill out of the middle. [New Lexington] overpassed and [Burns] jammed one. But those two blocks were big. Her and Corrine communicate with each other and that’s what you have to have. You trust what you hear from your teammates and you’re ready to help each other.”
The Warriors’ momentum carried over into the second, where they seized a 6-3 lead and never looked back.
Burns logged a kill and a block for a 14-10 count before making it 16-11 with another kill. Kortney Sowers logged an ace to make it a six-point lead and Day took things from there, producing leads of 22-12 and 24-18 en route to a 2-0 match lead.
Nothing changed in the third.
Adena went ahead 5-1 early and held advantages of 13-19, 15-12 and 20-16 before putting away a 25-19 victory and punching their Sweet 16 ticket.
Statistically, Day led the Warriors’ attack with 21 kills alongside three blocks while Burns added 16 kills and six blocks. Dalton posted a team-high 26 digs while Grooms tallied 19 assists and nine digs. Kortney Sowers also helped the cause with 16 assists, Kamryn Sowers added 11 digs, and Smith logged 10 digs of her own.
Adena now advances to a Division V regional semifinal at 8 p.m., Thursday at Logan High School. There, the Warriors will meet with a familiar foe in Zane Trace, who topped Huntington in five sets to advance.
Adena has beaten the Pioneers in this season’s two previous meetings.
“We’re still working on some things in practice to keep adding,” Smith said. “There are some things you don’t want to show until you have to. Some of that, we haven’t had to yet. This is icing on the cake. We’ll go out and do our best and be happy with what we do. There’s no sense in being nervous. We’re going to give it all we’ve got.”
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