Olivia Riley, Contributor
CHILLICOTHE — Stressful endings to each set posed no problem for the Cavaliers.
CREDIT: Olivia Riley/SOSA
They rolled right along with the punches.
Chillicothe (5-6, 4-1 FAC) completed a sweep of the Jackson Ironladies (3-6, 2-3 FAC) on Tuesday by a final score of 27-25, 25-22 and 25-21 — notching their fourth conference victory. Tuesday’s win puts the Cavs in second place in the FAC, behind undefeated Miami Trace.
Each set told nearly the same story — the Cavaliers gaining a nice lead early, but the Ironladies using momentum to fight back from the deficits.
The Cavs posted advantages of 12-9 and 18-13 in the first, but Jackson’s offense woke up and closed the gap to take the lead at 21-20. The Ironladies took a 24-22 advantage before Chillicothe took its final timeout.
Out of the huddle, the Cavaliers survived four set points before earning a 27-25 win after a hitting error from the Ironladies.
The second set was anyone’s game.
Strong attacks from Chillicothe’s Maleah Oney helped the Cavaliers gain small advantages throughout the entire set. After leading 18-15 and 21-17, the Cavs then finished out a 25-21 win to go up 2-0 in the match.
PHOTOS: Images from Chillicothe’s sweep of Jackson
With set three being a must-win for the Ironladies, they had to adjust. After another string of big leads from Chillicothe, Jackson took a much-needed timeout when down five.
The Cavaliers were looking for a sweep while leading 17-12, but a nice run from the Ironladies closed the gap to a one-point deficit.
After an ace from Katie Conner eventually tied the score at 20-20, a string of miscommunication from Jackson gave the set to Chillicothe, 25-21.
Stat book
Statistics for Chillicothe were not available.
For the Ironladies, senior Kloe Zink led the offense with 17 kills on the night. She was followed by Kaycee Perkins, who totaled 10. Defensively, sophomore libero Kaydee Brown tallied 20 digs, while Sydney and Halle Hughes followed with 13 and 12, respectively.
What’s on tap
On Thursday, the Cavaliers will travel to Hillsboro (1-8, 1-4 FAC) to face the Indians in another conference matchup. Next up for the Ironladies is a trip to Miami Trace to face the undefeated Panthers (11-0, 5-0 FAC) on the same night.