Derrick Webb, Managing Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE — It’s been four years since Chillicothe has captured a conference championship. But those four years have felt like a lifetime.
On Thursday, the Cavaliers took a huge first step towards snapping that streak — and ended a streak of Miami Trace’s in the process.
Behind the tandem of Evelyn Hamman and Makalee Miller at the net, coupled with a stingy defensive effort led by Campbell McAllister, Chillicothe rallied to beat the Panthers in a five-set thriller that produced a 12-25, 25-21, 11-25, 25-19, 17-15 final.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
The victory snaps Miami Trace’s 41-game win streak inside the Frontier Athletic Conference.
“They work so hard every day, no matter what. I just love them,” Chillicothe coach Leslie Hamman said. “We have made some midseason lineup adjustments and they are working. We haven’t lost a match since. I am so proud of them, I can’t even describe it. They never give up on each other or themselves and it’s showing. It took adjusting our offense last night to get the job done and our defense at the net. Evelyn [Hamman] back in the middle and stellar serving from Makalee [Miller], and our incredible back row defense from Campbell, Josie [Huddleston] and Natalie [Dudley] is how we got it done.”
The start of the night was not kind to the Cavaliers (10-6, 7-1 FAC), and that’s putting it mildly.
Behind Lauren Guess and Lauren Farrens, Miami Trace (10-5, 7-1 FAC) seemed to shoot out of a cannon in the first set.
The Panthers took a lead at 4-3 and never looked back. Farrens logged back-to-back kills for a 9-7 edge, Guess made it 15-9 with a thunderous kill and later served back-to-back aces before MT put away a 25-12 victory.
“We had a rough first set. We tend to have slow starts and we have been trying to mentally prepare them at practice to get over that,” Hamman said. “However, our offense was not producing and that was what was costing us. We told them that we believed in them and knew that they had what it takes to win. We also reminded them that their jobs are to always better the ball every touch. We have to anticipate better. We are a good blocking team and once we get a couple, we have to defensively anticipate a tip or roll.”
That’s exactly what started happening in the second.
PHOTOS: Images from Chillicothe’s win over Miami Trace
Hamman gave the Cavaliers a 4-3 lead early before Miller and Marisa Stiteler got involved to make it a 9-5 advantage. The Panthers fought back, seizing an 11-10 lead with an ace from Guess, but Chillicothe ripped off four straight points to make it 14-11.
The two would go back and forth from there but, late in the set, Hamman took over and scored the final two points of a 25-20 win to tie the match.
The third game was a virtual carbon copy of the first.
Miami Trace jumped out to a quick lead and held advantages of 14-8 and 18-11 en route to a 25-11 win — using a set-ending 11-0 run to take a 2-1 match lead.
But in the fourth, the Cavaliers started to fight back and, as they did, momentum drifted their way.
Hamman put Chillicothe up 14-12 before an ace from Miller made it 20-15 late. That was enough energy for the Cavaliers to force a fifth with a 25-19 win.
In the race to 15, Chillicothe took a 10-9 lead before a kill from Miller made it 11-9. Later, a Panther hitting error gave the Cavs a 14-10 advantage and forced match point.
But MT clawed its way back behind Farrens and Guess, forcing a 14-14 tie. The Panthers even took a 15-14 lead with a block from Ella Butts. But after Grace Tomlinson logged a kill for a 15-15 score, an ace from Miller put Chillicothe back on top before Tomlinson sent fans home with a match-winning kill.
“I have the utmost respect for [Miami Trace] Coach [Doug] Mace,” Hamman said. “He was my coach when I was in high school when I played for SOVC. He has always supported my journey as a newer varsity coach. I am always anxious to coach against him and he is incredible. His team is always well-coached. It was also their Senior Night, so we knew they would be ready. It feels good to bring the program back into an exciting, competitive atmosphere. We haven’t had a league title since 2021 and to be on track to that this year, I feel incredibly blessed. It’s so rewarding to see these girls and all their hard work that they’ve put in, come full circle. They are so deserving.”
Statistically, Hamman led the Cavaliers with 20 kills alongside 11 digs and three blocks. Miller had 11 kills and eight aces, Isabella Witte finished with 31 assists and 11 digs, and McAllister had a team-high 18 digs.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
Miami Trace’s final statistics were not available at the time of publication.
The Cavaliers, now in the thick of a conference title hunt, will be back in action on Saturday, hosting Athens. Meanwhile, the Panthers will attempt to rebound on Tuesday, traveling to McClain.
“We never underestimate an opponent. We know Jackson is competitive this year and we must remain focused and get better and better every practice,” Hamman said. “We still have some tough games ahead but are also looking at a tournament run. After every match, as coaches and players, we talk about how we get better for the next game, both as individuals, as a team and as a program. This is the time of the season where teams can battle the aches and pains physically and we are seeing a little bit of that. But the best part about this group is that we have a bench and fresh legs and arms that we aren’t afraid to use. That is what helped us get that win tonight.”
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