Brock Netter, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
WAVERLY — Coming into Tuesday night’s matchup at Waverly, Wheelersburg had dropped just eight sets throughout the season — none of which had came in SOC III competition.
Both of those facts remained intact on Wednesday morning.
Despite trailing midway through each set, the Pirates (14-3, 7-0 SOC III) turned on the jets down the stretch to earn a 25-18, 25-17, 25-16 sweep, clinching a share of the SOC III title in the process.
“We’ve had some slow starts lately, but what I’m more proud of is how the girls have responded every single time,” Wheelersburg coach Kelsey Glockner said. “They’ve been able to push through, play really selfless volleyball and figure out ways to win, which is what you like to see as a coach. They continue to fight and grow with every game played.”
CREDIT: Brock Netter/SOSA
The Tigers (14-4, 4-3 SOC III) brought the energy early, jumping out to leads of 7-4, 9-6 and 12-10.
However, Wheelersburg managed to end that momentum and sent Alyssa Mullins to the service line, where everything changed.
While leading a 7-0 run, Mullins served up a pair of aces that swung momentum and put the Pirates ahead 18-12. Although Waverly attempted to get back into the set, Mullins powered down a pair of kills, including the set-sealing point.
“I noticed that some of the Waverly girls were in their own heads a little bit and they were having some trouble passing, so I kept targeting them,” Mullins said. “I just had to stay focused and keep getting those points since our rotation was working pretty well for us.”
Waverly realized it had to clean things up in the second set and turned towards its standout freshman to do so.
Calli Knight created all kinds of problems for the Pirates’ defense, notching a trio of kills and ripping an ace to put Waverly ahead 11-8 early in the second.
PHOTOS: Images from Wheelersburg’s win over Waverly
That energy spread to her teammates. They continued to nickel and dime the Pirates, carrying a slim margin throughout the set and at 17-14.
However, Grace Woodward registered a kill for the Pirates and that sent Mullins back to the service line.
That was, again, not great news for Waverly.
Between Mullins at the line, Woodward and Laynee Walker at the net, and Laikyn Hall in the middle as a block, the Pirates finished the set on an 11-0 run to close out the victory.
“It’s a brand new position for Laikyn, who was a defensive specialist last year and now she’s our middle hitter replacing Gracie Perkins,” Mullins said. “She’s done a really amazing job, put in so much work and plays really big at the net. I couldn’t be more proud of her. I’m definitely thankful she’s on our side.”
While that second-set comeback could’ve taken the wind out of Waverly’s sails, the Tigers were determined to push things to a fourth and started the third with a 6-1 advantage.
But try as they might, they simply couldn’t get out of their own way.
Errors and miscommunication allowed the Pirates to score 10 of the next 13 points to take an 11-9 lead.
With the lead, and momentum, on their side, they pieced together a 9-1 run that pushed the lead into double digits before putting a the cap on the night.
“This is a big week for us with some tough conference games, so getting this win to start is huge,” Wheelersburg’s Mylee Jo Gleim said. “Our whole mindset was just to play our game, be free and have some fun since we’ve been playing a little tight lately. We’re pushing each other to be better, not in a negative way or anything, but positively to make sure we’re all held accountable and doing our job on the floor.”
Statistically, Mullins led the Pirates with 15 kills, 10 digs and five aces while Woodward had 12 kills and eight digs. Mylee Gleim led the defense with 14 digs and Ella Chamberlin tallied 30 assists.
Wheelersburg returns to action on Thursday at home against South Webster, where it can capture the outright league title. Meanwhile, Waverly looks to rebound that same night, hosting Minford.
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