Brock Netter, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by Holzer Health System.
BEAVER — On Sept. 22, Eastern lost in four sets to Oak Hill.
And they haven’t lost a match since.
Tuesday was about getting their comeuppance, and they didn’t waste the opportunity.
Eastern dispatched the Oaks in straight sets by a 25-18, 25-14 and 25-13 final, winning at least a share of the SOC II title for the third straight season.
“We came ready to play. One of the big focuses this season was winning the conference title, so I think we had that in mind and we already knew Oak Hill wasn’t a team that we could play around with,” Eastern coach Rhyanna Knauff said. “They’re a good team, very scrappy and well-coached. But we stuck to our game plan and attacked. We’ve put a lot of numbers on the banner, then hit a rough patch for a little bit, but putting another up is always special and it means a lot to the seniors.”
Having learned from their first go-around with the Oaks, the Eagles (17-5, 9-1 SOC II) came ready to attack.
CREDIT: Brock Netter/SOSA
Kamryn Pollard was dialed in at the service line, logging three aces as Eastern jumped ahead to a quick 7-0 lead. That lead continued to swell when Callie Rader powered down three kills as part of a 5-1 run, extending the advantage to 12-1.
Oak Hill (13-9, 7-3 SOC II) began to fight back as Charissa Krannitz served up a pair of aces, alongside a kill-block combo from Makayla Davidson to spark a 10-2 run, trimming the deficit to 14-11.
Braelyn Bivens later ripped three aces, and Rader and Liberty Ward had a kill each to help push the Eagles over the hump for the opening-set win.
“We’re really good spot-servers. It’s something we work a lot on in practice,” Bivens said. “If you can’t serve, you can’t win games. I think it really showed tonight how much we work on serving. I had aces, Kam had aces, everyone who served I think had at least one, and once we saw who was struggling on serve-receive, we kept attacking. It really helped.”
Oak Hill started the second set with a 5-1 lead, thanks to a pair of kills from Davidson and an ace from Merrill. But Eastern tied the game at 9-9 with a kill from Ward and an ace from Bivens.
The Eagles took an 11-10 lead following a kill from Kenleigh Bapst, and she sent down two additional kills to extend the lead to 15-11.
Oak Hill cut that edge to 16-14, but Bapst went back to the service line and never left.
She notched back-to-back aces, while Bivens, Ward, Callie Rader and Leah Rader each added a kill, ending the game on a 9-0 run.
“I’m very proud of her. Her back row play has improved so much from the beginning of the season to now, especially when it comes to covering and seeing the tips,” Eastern’s Lynnleigh McCollister said. “She reads the block really well, knows how to hit around it, knows when the spots are open, and communicates really well about where to hit.”
It was a stalemate in the opening moments of the third with ties at 3-3, 7-7 and 9-9 — after an ace from Eastern’s Izabelle Beekman.
The Eagles then hit a gear that Oak Hill had no answer for.
Ward and Bevins each had a pair of kills while Beekman served another ace as a part of a 13-0 run, stretching the lead to 20-9 before they closed out the match.
“Our energy was so high throughout the game against Piketon after we lost to Oak Hill, and we knew we had to keep that same level,” Ward said. “Losing to them the first time I think really fueled us this time, and this was our Senior Night, so we all locked in and got the job done.”
Eastern defeated Peebles in straight sets on Wednesday and captured the outright conference title on Thursday in a win over South Gallia. Oak Hill suffered a loss in straight sets to Western on Thursday.
Both teams now turn their attention towards the tournament.
Eastern will host Green to open Division VII play on Thursday, while Oak Hill travels to Nelsonville-York on Tuesday in Division V.
“We have a really good team filled with girls that are athletic and really go after it,” Leah Rader said. “I think the softball run with us getting to the Sweet 16 really showed us that it doesn’t matter how small of a school we are. We can still achieve so much, and it’s carried over into volleyball season.”
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