Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
FRANKFORT — If there was any doubt that Katie Burns was a bonafide SVC Player of the Year candidate before Tuesday’s match with Unioto, put it to rest.
Burns isn’t just a candidate, she’s the frontrunner.
Behind a 22-kill night from its star junior, Adena breezed past the Shermans by a 25-14, 25-17, 25-13 final — staying perfect in SVC play.
“She’s a nice player,” Adena coach Laura Smith said. “She carries us. But I’ll tell you, the closeness of our team is so important. The senior class is close, the junior class is close, and they all just embrace each other. They’re playing for each other and not for themselves.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
Burns had a big night. But she’d be the first to tell you it wouldn’t have happened without a supporting cast around her.
The Warriors (13-3, 9-0 SVC) received significant contributions from every player that stepped foot in the lineup. That’s something that’s become a theme for this year’s group.
“Who would’ve thought we’d be here at this point of the season? Not me, I can tell you that,” Smith said. “It’s a different chemistry and makeup. They’re all on the same page. Last year, our team motto was you have to be all in. We didn’t manage that. It didn’t happen. But this year, they know how it can be if you don’t get along with each other and play for each other. They know what happens with that. We may not be as athletic and talented as we’ve been, but we’re working together. They know each other’s strengths. And they’re happy for each other.”
Tale of the tape
Adena’s Jacey Smith gave the Warriors a 4-2 lead before Corinne Day and Burns powered the offense to a 14-5 advantage. Later, Burns logged three straight kills to make it a 22-12 lead in the first set before putting the win away with a kill-block combo — cementing a 25-14 final.
“They were triple blocking Katie and I said, ‘Katie, did you watch the film? Were you looking at that?’ She said, ‘No, I’ve got a little bit of a hang time, so I can see around them,’” Smith said. “I said, ‘Well, that’s good.’”
In the second, Unioto (11-6, 5-4 SVC) played closer, thanks to contributions from Zoie Dettwiller and Kyra Stulley. In fact, after a kill from Jade Stewart, the Shermans owned a 10-7 edge.
PHOTOS: Images from Adena’s win over Unioto
Enter Adena’s Kortney Sowers at the service line.
The Warriors’ sophomore setter led her team on an 8-1 run — powered by multiple aces — to give them a 15-11 advantage. From there, Adena never looked back, seizing leads of 18-12 and 23-15 en route to a 25-17 victory.
“Kortney does a nice job. She’s got a nice jump-float serve and she’s practiced that well,” Smith said. “[Kortney and Kamryn Sowers] have their own gym. So she can practice whenever she wants to. We work on serving every day in practice. But our serve-receive carries us sometimes, too.”
Nothing changed in the third. Burns made it a 10-3 lead for Adena early on and Day later made it 18-9 as the Warriors cruised to a 25-13 final, completing the sweep.
Stat book
Burns powered Adena with a game-high 22 kills alongside six blocks and five digs. Day followed with 15 kills, Kortney Sowers added six aces and 20 assists, Kamryn Sowers led the defense with 17 digs, Kimmy Dalton added 16 digs, Jacey Smith posted three aces and 15 digs, and Kayla Grooms finished with 17 assists.
Unioto was led by Stulley, who had seven kills, while Stewart and Dettwiller posted six and five, respectively. Alyssa Stanley passed out 18 assists, Alexa West led the defensive effort with 18 digs, and Isabel Link added two aces and two blocks.
What’s on tap
Both teams return to SVC play on Thursday. While Unioto attempts to bounce back with a home date against Paint Valley, the Warriors travel to Zane Trace.
“We played as a team. We didn’t think about ourselves. It was about everyone. We all want good things for each other. We just want to see each other succeed,” Burns said. “Our consistency [is what we need to work on]. We still make mistakes and each mistake we find, we work on those.”
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