Martins Ferry Sweeps By Beaver Local For Buckeye 8 Volleyball Championship
Trending
ST. CLAIRSVILLE - Martins Ferry checked off the first of its goals Wednesday night when it swept past Beaver Local for the Buckeye 8 Championship inside the ECO Center by scores of 25-19, 25-21 and 25-17.
With the victory, the state-ranked Purple Riders, the No. 1 seed in the South Division, remained perfect in 17 outings and have already locked down the top seed in the upcoming OVAC Class 4A Tournament - the team's second goal. Martins Ferry was third in Division V in the latest Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association poll released on Monday.
"We want to come out on top of every tournament we play in, the Buckeye 8 is no different," a happy Martins Ferry head coach Jaela Koller said. "We took care of business tonight."
Martins Ferry snapped a 4-all stalemate with nine of the next 10 points to build a 13-5 and never looked back in the first set. The Purple Riders put the hammer down during the stretch as junior Nicole Hammerquist ruled at the net with five of her 14 kills on the night.
"When that girl is locked in, watch out," Koller said of the high-leaper. Hammerquist also added a trio of blocks.
Holding on to a 24-19 advantage, Giana Chirpas' kill off a set by Olivia Harkness sealed the deal.
Beaver Local (12-4), the top seed in the North Division, broke out to an 8-3 lead to start the second set as Lily Schreiber had a trio of kills. However, Martins Ferry rallied to draw even at 10 and proceed to score five of the next six for a 15-11 lead.
The teams were deadlocked at 15, 16 and 20 before a two-handed touch return by Maddie Lucas gave the Purple Riders a 21-20 lead they never relinquished. Lucas added a kill, as did London Hodor in the final stretch.
With the third set knotted at 8, Martins Ferry took command as Chirpas took over control of the net. The senior charted half of her 14 kills to spark a match-ending 17-9 run.
"Giana is another one that just wants fed the ball," Koller said. "She knows what she wants to do with it."
Ironically, the match ended on a soft kill by Harkness which was her lone one of the night. She did, however, record 37 assists.
Maddie Lucas chipped in seven kills and 14 digs, while SJ Koller had a robust 25 digs.
"Tonight might have been Maddie's best defensive game of the year," Coach Koller praised.
"I couldn't be any happier with the way we played tonight. Our service struggled a little, but I'll take the win any night."
The coach said she was a little worried on the bus ride from the school to the ECO Center because it was quiet.
"The girls were really focused tonight," she added. "Nothing surprised me about this team, especially those seven seniors. They're athletes and they've been winners their entire careers. They won 71 games in basketball and volleyball in junior high.
"They have a lot to be proud of."
Beaver Local head coach Sarah Lowe was proud of the way her team played, but also heaped praise on the Purple Riders.
"I think my girls did a great job early in the first two sets. They jumped out strong to begin each set and then (Martins) Ferry kind of grabbed the middle of each set and we fell behind," Lowe said. "We continued to play catch-up for the remainder of those sets but Ferry was very scrappy. They don't let much hit the floor and they have some really strong hitters.
"We're a rebuilding team this year and I think we did a great job of executing what our game plan was tonight," Lowe added. "Martins Ferry played a little bit better and exposed some of our downfalls, so we now know what we need to work on."
Schreiber led the Beavers with 12 kills and four digs. Taylor Pease added 13 digs, three assists and a pair of digs, while Addie Thurik finished with seven digs, four aces and a trio of kills.
The match was moved from Saturday to last night due to the wedding of Beaver Local assistant coach Cierah Thurik. Saturday will now see three matches contested, all at the ECO Center, with the following schedule: Indian Creek vs. Bellaire, 9 a.m.; Buckeye Local vs. Union Local, 10:15 a.m.; Harrison Central vs. Barnesville, 11:30 a.m. The St. Clairsville-East Liverpool and Brooke-Cambridge matches have not yet been scheduled.