ST. CLAIRSVILLE — It doesn’t matter the sport nor the season, there always seems to be one team that has another team’s number.

This season Union Local had already posted a pair of regular-season volleyball sweeps against St. Clairsville. That trend continued Tuesday night inside a boisterous gymnasium at St. Clairsville High School as the third-seeded Jets (16-5) swept past the No. 2 Red Devils (16-4) by scores of 25-20, 25-13 and 25-17 in an OVAC Class 4A Tournament semifinal on John Jenkins Court.

The victory, which came in 57 minutes of match time, propels the Jets into Saturday’s championship match against top-seeded Beaver Local, which swept No. 4 Oak Glen in the other semifinal on Tuesday. Union Local was the Class 3A champion a year ago before bumping back to 4A this campaign. The Jets also won an OVAC title in 2022.

“The girls were ready tonight,” veteran Union Local head coach Kaye Sechrest said. “We want to win (Class) 4A this year and go back-to-back.”

Sechrest said it doesn’t matter who the opponent is on Saturday at the refurbished ECO Center west of St. Clairsville.

“We’ve played both teams and they are both very good,” she noted. “It is what it is. We’re there. We’ll get ready the rest of the week for whomever.”

Times and pairings for the five championship matches will be finalized on Wednesday, according to OVAC Volleyball Commissioner Wayne Ogilbee.

Union Local’s ‘twin towers’ completely dominated the play at the net with 35 kills and numerous blocks. Ameera Saunders, a 6-1 junior, recorded 20 kills and a pair of blocks, while also charting two service aces. Six-foot senior Laken Vinskovich had a double-double with 15 kills and 11 digs.

“We just need to keep getting better every day. I still think we get better from our losses,” St. Clairsville head coach Steve Harris said. “We struggle with them, but we’ve got to get over it.

“I give them all the credit in the world,” Harris added. “They are great blockers, great hitters … they make you work hard.”

Sechrest lauded her team’s near-perfect play.

“The girls played really well tonight,” she offered. “With Laken and Ameera, then throwing in Alli Kellaway, Delaney Butler and Myah Martin, it was a complete team effort. If you want to be good, you’ve got to work as a team.”

Sechrest said the key to this team is “togetherness. They like each other and that goes a long way towards winning,” she added.

Despite owning two wins over the Red Devils, Sechrest was still worried entering the match.

“I’m always nervous,” she admitted. “But we practiced really well yesterday (Monday).”

Senior Delaney Butler had 40 assists for Union Local, while Martin added five digs and two aces. Freshman Ramsey Butler finished with three kills and a pair of blocks, while Brooklyn Burley had five assists and Kellaway four kills and five digs.

If there is a silver lining for St. Clairsville, the loss doesn’t end its season as sectional tournament play begins next week.

“This is a huge achievement for us to get into big matches like this,” Harris said. “We’re starting to get a feel for what it’s like and I am super proud of my team. UL’s been fantastic for years and we’re trying to catch them.”

No statistics were available for St. Clairsville.