GALION — Galion honored its seniors with a victory against local rival Wynford on Monday evening. The Lady Tigers prevailed 3-1.
“It’s big win for us,” Galion head coach Kathleen Davis said. “We have been kind of up and down riding a roller coaster. We’re trying to settle down before tournament time and get in the groove. There was a big crowd tonight and that helped fuel them a lot.”
The Tigers honored seniors Kalyn Carroll, Dani Felder, Emma Jutz, and Ady Monk prior to the match.
The first set was very competitive. Wynford jumped out to a 4-0 lead and Galion stormed back to tie it at four. Wynford led 18-16 late in the set before the Tigers were able to out-power the Royals and earn a 25-21 win.
The Royals (15-4, 10-2 Northern 10 Athletic Conference) bounced back in the second set with a 27-25 win. Galion started off the set leading 7-4 and then Wynford rallied to grab a 13-12 edge. Wynford was able to outlast Galion and weather any runs they put together for the rest of the set.
“They play a lot faster ball and I think it really prepares us for the speed that is about to come up. It’s nice to speed up the game a little bit,” Davis said.
Galion (14-5, 10-3 Mid Ohio Athletic Conference) pulled together and won the third set 25-17. The Tigers controlled the majority of the set, building an early 6-3 lead and then extending the advantage to 16-9.
Galion was able to close out the match in the fourth set, winning by a score of 25-21. This was a close set as it was 18-all before Galion pulled away for the victory.
Davis said communication was the key for the Tigers.
“Our biggest thing right now is just talking. Telling the offense where to hit, hit the open spot. We need to play smart ball and not aggressive ball,” Davis said.
Galion is in the midst of a 4-match winning streak. The run of good play has included wins against Pleasant (3-1), Clear Fork (3-0), and Shelby (3-0). The Tigers played a morning-evening doubleheader on Saturday, defeating Clear Fork in Bellville in the morning and returning home to defeat Shelby in the evening.
Upcoming schedule
The Tigers will play host to River Valley in the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference finale on Tuesday before wrapping up the regular season with a home match against Buckeye Central, the No. 4 ranked team in Division IV, on Saturday morning.
Wynford closes out its season with a pair of Northern 10 Athletic Conference matches. The Royals travel to Seneca East on Tuesday and then head to Buckeye Central on Thursday.
Tournament begins next week
Galion, the No. 5 seed in the Division II Seneca East Sectional/District tournament, opens postseason play with a home match against No. 11 seed Clear Fork on Tuesday, Oct. 19. Match time is 5 p.m.
Wynford, the fourth seed in the Division III Seneca East Sectional/District tournament, plays host to No. 6 seed Colonel Crawford in the opening round of that tournament on Monday, Oct. 18. Match time is 5 p.m.
