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LOGAN — Coming into the season, Adena felt like it was doubted.
The Warriors had lost several high-caliber seniors from last fall, didn’t return a ton of varsity experience and knew they had their work cut out for them in a league that’s always ultracompetitive.
They knew the naysayers’ narratives and they knew their opponents had placed a target on their backs.
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
But instead of focusing on what they couldn’t control, they focused on themselves, working to get better day-by-day to continue a culture of success in Frankfort.
That decision has paid off in a big way and Adena continued to reap the rewards on Thursday.
Behind the terrific tandem of Katie Burns and Corinne Day at the net, and an outstanding back row defensive effort, the Warriors (23-3) swept Zane Trace by a 25-16, 25-17, 27-25 final and earned a trip to a Division V regional championship game.
“This group, since we went to beach camp in early June, they’ve just bonded really well,” Adena coach Laura Smith said. “They’ve been working at getting better since then. It’s been so enjoyable to practice. They want to be there and they want to get better. They’re working for each other. That makes a huge difference. They don’t care who gets the credit, as long as we come out on top.”
The match started with Burns exploding for four kills early to provide a 5-2 lead for the Warriors. Following a kill from Zane Trace’s Kailee Johnson, it was Day’s turn for the Warriors, as she hammered home five kills to force an early ZT timeout.
Following the timeout, Adena’s outstanding back row defensive unit of Kamryn Sowers, Jacey Smith and Kimmy Dalton put their talents on full display, consistently denying the Pioneers’ attack.
That led setters Kortney Sowers and Kayla Grooms into positions to set up Burns and Day for success throughout the set and, eventually, a 25-16 victory.
“They work hard to get the ball to target and make the job easier on our setters,” Smith said. “That’s what their job is. We’re not very big, so we have to take care of things in the back row. We practice hard and they’re aggressive. They’re not afraid to go after the ball.”
While it may have felt as though all of the sets were being guided through Burns and Day, outside hitters Caroline Glandon, Jacey Jones and Addyson Wisecup were able to get into the action to keep the Pioneers’ defense honest from time to time.
The Warriors took a commanding 2-0 match lead with a 25-17 win, thanks to their swarming defense and balanced offensive attack, even if it was focused through Burns and Day.
“They know their role,” Smith said. “They know that [Burns and Day] are getting the majority of the sets. But Caroline has gotten better game after game. She works really hard. We told Jacey that she was going to have to work all the way around and she’s our serve-receive coming out of the front row. We’ve told her not to worry about getting the kill and just to keep it in play. Then, we’ve worked with her on specific things she can do to get a kill in certain spots. As long as we have good control, we can do things. But when things start going awry, [it’s Burns and Day].”
Even in a 2-0 hole, the Pioneers (14-12) were not going to go down without a fight.
Zane Trace used an attack through Johnson and Karlee Snavely in the third, along with timely plays from seniors Laynie Scott and Addison Platt, to control the majority of the set.
After a kill from Day gave the Warriors a 14-13 lead, the Pioneers rolled off four consecutive points behind Snavely and Scott, forcing the Warriors’ final timeout of the set.
Zane Trace kept its foot on the gas as Johnson and Snavely added kills as the length of the Pioneers at the net forced multiple hitting errors for the Warriors, eventually giving ZT a 24-18 advantage late.
PHOTOS: Images from Adena’s regional semifinal win over Zane Trace
But with their backs against the wall, the Warriors showed why they had captured a Gold Ball and why they’ve won their last 17 outings.
Back-to-back kills from Day forced a timeout, before an ace from Smith started another run for the Warriors to force another ZT timeout. With the score standing at 24-23, Day hammered home her 23rd kill of the night to bring the score even and wash the slate clean.
“We were out of subs and Jacey [Smith] did a good job of putting pressure on [Zane Trace] from the service line,” Smith said. “They made some mistakes, which was nice. But until Jacey started serving, we had only scored three times off of our serve. Everything else was side out. You have to take care of your serve and keep it. We weren’t doing a very good job of that.”
Not to be deterred, Snavely slammed home a kill of her own to put the Pioneers back on top.
But it would be all for naught, as another kill from Day set up match point for the Warriors. After a wild return from the Pioneers, Glandon was able to block ZT’s attack to the floor, sending the Warriors onto the Elite 8 with a 27-25 win.
Burns and Day each paced the Warriors with 24 kills each while Glancond had three of her own. Day also added four blocks while Burns tallied two.
The Pioneers were paced by Johnson’s 10 kills while Platt ended with nine. Snavely also helped out with eight kills and Scott chipped in with six.
The loss finishes Zane Trace’s Cinderella run as the No. 9 seed. The Pioneers played their best volleyball down the stretch to earn their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2012.
Meanwhile, the Warriors head back to a regional championship game, looking to return to their first state tournament since 2021.
They’ll meet with Wheelersburg, a 3-0 winner over Belmont Union Local, at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Logan.
“They’re solid. They’ve got height across the front line and their defense works. We’ll have to do what we know how to do best and, hopefully, that will be enough,” Smith said. “But the fact that we’re even going to be in that match just thrills my soul.”
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