Brock Netter, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
SOSA would like to thank Scott Iles for providing this story’s images.
LOGAN — All year long, Circleville navigated its way through a tough schedule to earn a No. 1 seed in the Southeast District tournament.
CREDIT: Scott Iles/Maxpreps.com
That’s why the Tigers entered Monday’s Division II district semifinal against Unioto as the favorite to advance.
But the Shermans must not have gotten that memo.
Unioto, a No. 8 seed, mustered every ounce of perseverance and resiliency it had to stun the top-seeded Tigers by a 25-19, 16-25, 25-17, 18-25, 15-10 final.
The victory marks the Shermans’ first trip to a district final since 2018.
“The motivation was definitely there, and we knew what to expect from Circleville having played them so many times this season,” Unioto coach Jimmy Hutton said. “We knew we could play with them. It came down to us slowing down [Morgan] Blakeman and their other big outside hitter [Gabby McConnell]. But I couldn’t be more proud of these girls. What a game. I don’t know what else I could say.”
Stopping Blakeman is always much easier said than done. But the Shermans (19-5) rose to the challenge early to secure momentum.
Tied at 6-6, Ella Cutright ripped a pair of kills to help Unioto score three straight points and take a 9-6 advantage. Keeping their foot on the pedal, Jade Stewart served a pair of aces as a part of a 7-0 run, pushing the lead to 19-12.
The lead swelled to to 21-13 before Circleville (20-4) made a late rally behind Blakeman and McConnell to cut the lead to 23-19, but the Shermans posted the final two points to take a 1-0 lead.
It may have been a shock to Circleville’s system to be down a set. But that jolt woke the Tigers up and they went right to work in the second stanza.
They never trailed after opening with a 5-0 lead that ballooned to 10-4 following an ace from Blakeman. The lead later hit double-digits at 16-6 as the Tigers continued to pour it on behind Blakeman, Cara Cooper and Maddie Blakeman to tie the match at 1-1.
“We started really timid in the second set for some reason and it was just a snowball effect from that point,” Hutton said. “We weren’t hitting the ball the same way we did in the first set. This game was all about attacking the ball and changing the speeds of those attacks to keep your opponent guessing.”
Realizing the importance of the third set, Unioto’s Abbie Marshall turned up the heat.
She started with a pair of kills followed by an ace to give Unioto a 9-5 lead. That hot streak continued as she racked up kill after kill, driving one dagger after another to the ground.
Marshall undoubtedly did the heavy lifting throughout the third before Stewart finished off the Tigers with a kill to take a 2-1 lead.
“Abbie struggled in the first half of the season just getting herself comfortable and familiar with a new coach and team,” Hutton said. “But she quickly bought into the system and grasped the understanding that if you do the things we ask, you’re going to be successful. She’s such a great all-around player and attacked the ball very well tonight.”
Circleville wasn’t ready to call it a season just yet, and fed the ball right back to Blakeman. Time after time, she found the open holes in Unioto’s defense as the Tigers took a 10-4 lead and kept moving forward.
CREDIT: Scott Iles/Maxpreps.com
Flanked by Cooper, McConnell and Maddie Blakeman once again, the Tigers coasted to leads of 16-9 and 20-13 before forcing a deciding fifth set.
“All I told them was that it’s a race to 15, so let’s be the first to get there,” Hutton said. “Coaching is all about motivation, and if you can get your kids excited to play, they’ll play hard for you every single time.”
Circleville started with momentum as kills from Blakeman and McConnell helped the Tigers jet out to a 4-1 advantage. Battling back, the Shermans later tied the set at 7-7 and 10-10.
It was then time for Stewart to rise to the occasion.
After a block from Kyra Stulley put Unioto ahead 11-10, the Shermans fed Stewart and she answered the bell with three kills, including the game-winner, to punch the Shermans’ ticket to a district final.
“Jade was a little up and down, and she went through a little bad spell at times,” Hutton said. “But whenever we called on her, she delivered one kill after another. Even on that 14th point, she did what was called a ‘brownie dink.’ We hadn’t seen it all night long, and she waited until probably the perfect time to bring it out of her arsenal. She had an unbelievable game as well.”
Unioto advances to a Division II district final, and will face off against New Lexington, who defeated Marietta in straight sets to advance.
That game will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Southeastern High School.
“I think this was the first time all season that Circleville has played five sets, and we’ve been through five-set games many times this season, so we knew how to handle ourselves,” Hutton said. “Our girls were incredibly resilient and gritty, and they know that seeding means nothing. We’ll get back to practice, work on our defense and serve receive and we’ll be ready come Saturday.”
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