Carson Francis, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
WELLSTON — Lynchburg-Clay’s senior class has come a long way on the volleyball court.
When they were freshmen in 2022, the Mustangs won just one game after a winless season in 2021.
The program had fallen on some hard times, to say the least.
But that didn’t stop this year’s seniors from buying in and changing the narrative of their program’s future.
Fast forward to today.
Those in the program who endured that 1-21 season have helped the Mustangs reach new heights. This fall, Lynchburg-Clay has collected the most wins in a season since 2016 and, after a district quarterfinal win over Belpre, the Mustangs earned their first tournament win since 2019.
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
With the opportunity to play for a district title in their grasp, they had to take care of business in a Division VI district semifinal against Fairfield at Wellston High School on Tuesday evening.
There, Lynchburg-Clay (19-5) faced some resistance, but it was able to stay calm and collected and earn a 25-21, 25-16, 25-22 sweep of the Lions to advance to Saturday’s district championship game.
“I’m absolutely ecstatic that we are where we are. The seniors this year, they only won one game their first year. To see us make it to this level in three short years makes me so proud of the work that the seniors put in,” Mustangs head coach Janelle Rockey said. “I’m proud of the work of our juniors and the sophomore that we put in. They are by far my favorite team I’ve ever coached. They are one-hundred percent all in, supporting each other, and I think that showed tonight.”
Fairfield (16-8) jumped out to early 3-1 and 5-3 leads with Remi Moon cashing in for three kills in that span. But Lynchburg-Clay was unbothered and slowly worked its way to a four-point lead at 11-7. Thanks to the passing of senior setter Ava McLaughlin, the Mustangs increased their lead to 20-11 and appeared to be running away with the opening set.
Fairfield wouldn’t make it that easy, though.
The Lions responded by trimming the deficit to 20-14 before LC pushed it back to 22-14. Then, Fairfield brought Moon to the service line, where she connected on four service aces en route to a 7-0 run.
Lynchburg-Clay stayed calm and put away the set, however. Following back-to-back errors from Fairfield, McLaughlin set up Mattie Magee for the set-clinching kill as the Mustangs earned a 25-21 victory in the first frame.
All of the momentum that Fairfield once had was now in the hands of the Mustangs, and it carried over into the second set.
McLaughlin again connected with Magee for the set’s first point before she went to the service line and helped her team build a 6-1 advantage. The Mustangs would then build the lead to 10-3 after libero Joslyn Rockey fed Bre Rosselott for another kill.
From there, the Mustangs wouldn’t trail by less than four points throughout the rest of the set. At set point, Rockey dished a pass out to Halle Greene for the winner, capping off a 25-16 win to give the Mustangs a 2-0 match lead.
With Fairfield’s season on the line, the Lions needed everything they could get in the third set. However, Lynchburg-Clay continued to find a way to keep the upper hand.
The Lions forced an early 2-2 tie, but LC quickly broke the stalemate after points from Rosselott and Melaney Stephenson. Capitalizing on a few Fairfield errors, the Mustangs later found themselves with a 19-10 lead as they looked to put things away.
Fairfield’s Paisley Stahlhut assisted Moon for a score before Moon went to the service line and chipped in with three consecutive service aces, keeping the Lions’ season on life support.
Kills from Stahlhut and Bailey Jones, in addition to a Mustang attacking error and another ace from Moon, put together an 8-0 Fairfield run to cut the deficit to 19-18.
Just like in the first set, though, Lynchburg-Clay had a response.
Still in front by a 22-21 count, the Mustangs chipped in back-to-back points from Magee before an attacking error from Fairfield gave Lynchburg-Clay the winning point, capping off a sweep to send the Mustangs to the district championship game.
“It showed a lot of maturity for them to know that one mistake, we can’t let it turn into five. They knew from playing against Fairfield earlier in the season and from watching the film from [Fairfield’s] last game against Paint Valley, that Fairfield is a third-set team,” Rockey said. “You might have them down two sets to begin with, but Fairfield is definitely a team that can come back and win that third set, and take the whole game from you if you let them.”
After Tuesday night’s sweep, the Mustangs haven’t dropped a set since Sept. 25.
“Coming in, we knew it was going to be a tough game because it’s been close in the past,” Kylie O’Connor said. “So we had to bring our A-game and bring the heat and energy, because [Fairfield] is a really good team.”
Lynchburg-Clay advances to Saturday’s Division VI district final, a matchup slated for a 12 p.m. start time back at Wellston High School. The Mustangs will square off with South Webster, who swept West to advance.
Facing a program who has won six straight district titles, Lynchburg-Clay knows that this is its biggest test yet. But Rockey is confident that, come Saturday, her team will be ready for the challenge.
“They’re celebrating big tonight, but they also know the next game is going to be the toughest game they’ve ever played. In our league, we don’t face schools that have the caliber of what South Webster is,” Rockey said. “We know it’s definitely a David and Goliath situation coming up on Saturday, and I think that we have the right mindset to give it our all.”
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