GALION — The Galion volleyball team picked up a sectional semifinal win at home on Tuesday night over visiting Clear Fork. The Tigers swept the Colts 3-0 and made it a 9-0 clean slate for the season. Galion defeated Clear Fork twice during the regular season.
“It definitely takes a lot more discipline and being a little more precise (to accomplish the 9-0 season sweep). We have quite a few errors that we need to avoid next time,” said Galion head coach Kathleen Davis. “We need to dig down deep and focus on what we need to do.”
Galion (15-7), seeded No. 5 in the Division II Attica Sectional/District, picked up a win in the first set, but it was very close. Clear Fork took an early 6-4 lead before Galion rallied to take the lead 14-9. The Colts battled back to take an 18-17 advantage, then it would be tied at 24-all. The Tigers were able to escape with a 26-24 opening set win.
Galion claimed a 2-0 advantage after winning the second set by a score of 25-17. Clear Fork built a 7-5 lead, but Galion was able regain control by rebounding to take a 14-9 lead.
Galion then closed out the match with a victory in the third set to complete the sweep. Clear Fork kept it close at 7-7 set early before Galion was able to turn the tide and take a 14-9 advantage. The Tigers eventually prevailed in the third set by a score of 25-17.
Tuesday evening was Davis’ first tournament win at Galion.
“It’s exciting and I kind of get some goosebumps. But, we have another game to look forward to. We’re just going to have to prepare and push ourselves,” explained Davis.
Galion will face No. 4 seed Bellevue (14-9) in a sectional finals match on Thursday evening at Sandusky Perkins High School. Bellevue swept Port Clinton 3-0 in a sectional semifinal on Tuesday. Match time between the Tigers and Lady Redmen is 5 p.m. on Thursday.
“We focus on one game at a time and that’s what we’re going to do. We can’t focus on the end route if we’re focusing on our next one coming up,” said Davis.
Bellevue defeated Galion 3-2 in the opening match of the 2021 season for the Tigers on Aug. 24. Bellevue has won five consecutive matches heading into Thursday’s matchup.
The Tigers snapped a two-match losing streak with the win over Clear Fork.
The winner of the Galion-Bellevue match will face the winner of Thursday’s other sectional finals match at Perkins between No. 9 seed Shelby (9-14) and No. 2 seed Sandusky Perkins (19-3). That match begins at 6:30 p.m.
Shelby defeated Tiffin Columbian 3-1 on Tuesday. Perkins swept Mansfield Senior, 3-0.
No. 1 seed Vermilion is the host school for the other half of the sectional championship bracket. Vermilion plays host to No. 12 seed Ontario on Thursday. The Warriors defeated Kenton 3-0 on Tuesday.
No. 3 seed Oak Harbor faces No. 7 seed Norwalk in the other sectional finals match at Vermilion. Oak Harbor defeated Clyde 3-1 in the semifinals. Norwalk upended No. 6 seed Lexington, 3-2.
The district semifinals are scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 26 at Seneca East High School. The district finals will be played on Thursday, Oct. 28 at Seneca East.
