Lady Tigers sweep Lynchburg-Clay

GREENFIELD – Winning three straight sets against county counterpart Lynchburg-Clay, the McClain Lady Tiger volleyball team gained their ninth win of the season Monday night at McClain high School.

            The Lady Tigers won the match by scores of 25-10, 25-18 and 25-9.

            “We played well, but we didn’t have our usual intensity that we should have,” McClain coach Emma Gall said.

            MHS won the first set by 15 points, starting off the set with a 4-0 led, with seniors Megan Saylor and Taylor Delph spiking and serving the Lady Tigers to the four-point advantage.

            MHS senior Kate Hammond and junior Kelsey Davis helped the Lady Tigers gain a 10-3 lead with an ace and spike hit.

            Later in the set Delph gave MHS an 11-point lead (14-3) with a point scored. Jenna Piere scored two consecutive points for the Lady Tigers to make the score 16-4.

            Lynchburg-Clay’s Elizabeth Spidel scored a point, but Delph came back again in the first set with yet another point for a MHS 17-7 lead.

            McClain’s next point came with a Davis serve bouncing off an L-C player. Delph made the score 19-8 with a big spike hit, and the score went to 23-8 later in the set off a spike by Saylor.

            L-C’s Christine Easterling scored a point in the latter stages of the set, but wasn’t enough as Saylor spiked the ball onto the Lady Mustangs’ side of the court for the 25-10 set one win.

            In the first set Delph led MHS with 10 points. Saylor ended the first set with six points.

            The Lady Mustangs battled close at the start of the first game, trailing by just three points after Magan Stegbauer had a big-time block. Courtney Covert brought L-C within two points of MHS with a point off a serve.

            MHS then scored the next five points to take an 11-4 lead with the help of Sasha Lawwell.

            Trailing by seven points L-C’s Christian Easterling scored the Lady Mustangs’ ninth point of the second set.

            L-C cut the Lady Tigers’ advantage to 17-13, and 19-13, but a hit by Hammond ended the second set at 25-18, giving MHS a two-set lead. In the second set Lawwell scored seven points. Cailey Branham scored six points in the set and Hammond scored five for the Lady Tigers. For L-C Daisy Christophel scored five points.

            MHS dominated the third set winning 25-9. Early in the set it was tied 5-5, but a big point by Saylor gave MHS a lead they never relinquished.

            The Lady Tigers followed with five straight points after Saylor gave them the lead for an 11-5 lead.

            Stegbauer brought L-C within four points, but play by the Lady Tigers late in the game sealed the win when Hammond scored the final point by spiking the ball off an L-C player.

            “Ashley Dalton and Alyssa Bean came off the bench for us and played well,” Gall said. “Everyone played well and it’s good to have nights like this.”

            For the Lady Mustangs head coach Erin Walters said her team is improving.

            “We start slow, but when things are right, we play pretty well,” Walters said. “We have some confidence issues, but we are getting better.”

            The win puts the Lady Tigers at 9-4 overall. In the South Central Ohio League the Lady Tigers stand at 3-2 and will host the Madison-Plains Lady Golden Eagles tonight at 5:30 p.m.