Redskins sweep Red Devils again to advance in Division II tourney
WINTERSVILLE — Two sweeps are better than one for the Indian Creek volleyball squad.
No. 11 Indian Creek got off to a bit of a slow start against No. 12 St. Clairsville, but the Redskins picked it up and went on to sweep the Red Devils, 25-18, 25-20, 25-16, in an Ohio Division II Eastern District first round match Monday at Indian Creek.
“This was our first win at home in a sectional match,” Indian Creek (14-7) head coach Molly Wilson said. “It is huge for the seniors. This was one of our goals at the beginning of the year. We wanted to win this match. It is nice for the seniors to win their final match at home.”
All three sets were close at one point, but Indian Creek was able to gain the momentum in each one and were able to pull away.
“That is one area we have struggled at,” St. Clairsville (13-9) head coach Christa Truchan said. “We do well at the beginning and at the end, but in the middle we plateau and let the other team get the momentum. In rally scoring, having momentum is important.”
With the win, Indian Creek will now play at 6 p.m. Thursday at No. 10 Claymont.
“We haven’t looked at Claymont,” Wilson said. “We were focused on St. Clairsville. We will spend the next two days focusing on Claymont. Hopefully we can carry this momentum into that match and come away with the same result.”
Renee Antonelli tallied seven kills, one block, two digs and one ace for the Redskins. Autumn Miller added one dig, two aces and 22 assists. Chelsea Connor contributed one kill, three blocks and one dig. Taylor Jones ended up with four kills and five blocks. Caitlin Shannon collected 11 digs, and Sarah Mazzafero finished with nine kills.
“Indian Creek is a strong team,” Truchan said. “They are consistent. Their consistency helps them finish.”
Individually for the Red Devils, Ari Reager recorded six kills and 12 assists. Emily Cramer contributed four kills and three blocks. Madison Vickers delivered 10 digs.
“We used our depth a lot more in this match,” Wilson said. “We have 12 girls on the bench. I told the girls all 12 are going to play. It is do or die now.”
Two weeks ago, the Redskins swept the Red Devils, 25-17, 25-11, 25-15 at home.
“We definitely played better tonight, no doubt about it,” Truchan said. “We just have to put teams away when we have the opportunity. We can’t let teams back in.”
The Redskins took their first lead of the first set at 17-16, and they pulled away to win the set by eight points to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
“We struggled with our confidence early in the match,” Wilson said. “Then early in the second game, we were able to boost our confidence.”
The score was tied at 13 in the second set, but the Redskins scored the next eight points to build a 21-13 advantage, en route to winning the set and taking a 2-0 lead.
Indian Creek built a 19-9 advantage in the third set on its way to winning the set and the match, 3-0.
“I told the girls in the locker room that we are unsatisfied,” Truchan said. “I told them to make sure they remember this feeling when they come out next season. We are going to go forward. We are not looking back. We are going forward.”