Granville volleyball seniors fuel 'fun' victory against Licking Valley
GRANVILLE — The home matches left in the careers of the Granville volleyball team’s seven seniors are dwindling, so the Blue Aces did not want to let a moment pass Thursday.
Granville fired out to a fast start and did not let up in a sweep of visiting Licking Valley, 25-11, 25-17, 25-21, in Licking County League-Buckeye Division play. The Blue Aces (7-10, 4-6) also completed a season sweep of the Panthers (4-13, 3-8), previously winning in four sets.
"It's really exciting. We only have two more home games left so finishing out the season strong is our goal, and a sweep at home is always very fun," senior Paige Hamilton said.
Kills for Hamilton and classmate Ava Gossman helped Granville score the match’s first six points. A seven-point serving run from junior Taylor Warehime, which included two aces and a kill from classmate Clara Wildermuth, pushed it to 17-5.
Hamilton and Gossman finished the first set with kills, and Hamilton then opened the second set with back-to-back kills and added an ace shortly thereafter. Wildermuth had two late kills before a kill each from junior Jenna George and Gossman finished the set.
"We had some heart-to-heart conversations," Granville coach Courtney Ruppert said. "I have seven seniors, and I want them to leave the footprint they want to make on the program. ... Especially at home and having a little bit of crowd support, it was nice just feeling like we weren't coming out anxious. We were confident."
Valley opened the third set with aces from junior Emily Bone and senior Bree Creech, sandwiching kills from senior Cassie Orr and junior Rylee Sensabaugh.
The Panthers played two five-set matches last week before the scary shooting hoax on Sept. 23. Homecoming week festivities have taken attention since, and they were slow to start Thursday.
"The girls are tired," Valley coach Leslie Hughes said. "They have to have confidence because we can play. They have to believe in themselves. When we played at Licking Heights (and won last week), they had it. I ask the girls, 'Where is that at?' We've working on it."
Granville’s defense led at the net by Gossman and at the back line by senior libero Kaylin Fuhrman and classmate Corrin Bush shrunk the court for Valley’s hitters. The Blue Aces forced the Panthers into several hitting errors.
When the ball was in play, the Blue Aces sent it to senior setter Rowan Jordan, who had an array of options. A late Gossman kill helped Granville overcome a 19-16 deficit in the third set, and she joined first Wildermuth and then junior Grace Hotchkiss on back-to-back blocks to seal the match.
"Ending with a win against a team we have been rivals with feels good," Fuhrman said. "We definitely celebrate each other's successes as our own, and that's what makes us feel most like a team."
Valley, which visits Johnstown on Tuesday, still has home matches against Zanesville, Heath and Tri-Valley remaining. The Panthers will attempt to follow the Blue Aces’ lead.
Creech had seven kills, Bone 10 assists, Orr three blocks and sophomore Sophia Stokes three aces for the Panthers.
"(The seniors) were talking to the girls in our huddle, and they said, 'We want to go out with a bang. Let's bring it.' Hopefully that motivates them to come out with a little more confidence," Hughes said.
Granville will take momentum into a challenging week to start October. The Blue Aces visit Utica, Watkins Memorial and Tri-Valley.
"The wins where everyone's on and everyone's on fire are definitely the most fun," Hamilton said. "We just need to focus on having fun and being ourselves every game and not getting too in our heads."
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Granville volleyball seniors fuel 'fun' victory against Licking Valley
