GALION — Buckeye Central traveled to Galion and tamed the Tigers with a clean sweep in volleyball action on Saturday morning.
“Today my team took their game to the next level. I really truly think they did. They fought to the very end. Overall, my team talked to each other no matter where they were,” said Galion head coach Kathleen Davis.
Buckeye Central (21-1, 14-0 Northern 10 Athletic Conference), champions of the Northern 10 Athletic Conference, started off the match by taking an 8-5 lead in the first set. The Buckettes would extend it to an 18-12 lead before Galion would storm back and tie it at 20-20. Buckeye Central was able to close out a 25-23 win in the opening set.
The Buckettes took the second set, which was highly competitive. Buckeye Central opened up the set leading 8-2 and then later held a 19-16 advantage. Buckeye Central defeated Galion 25-21 in the second set as they were able to weather any storm the Tigers threw at them down the stretch.
Buckeye Central, ranked fourth in the latest Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association Division IV poll, closed out the match with a 25-22 win in the third set. The Buckettes built an 8-2 lead and then extended it to 17-10. Galion fought back and took a 22-21 lead. Buckeye Central was able to close out the match four straight points.
“I think it just shows that we can compete. We did make more mistakes than they did and that’s things we can fix,” Davis said of her team’s effort against one of the top ranked teams in Ohio.
Galion (14-7, 10-4 Mid Ohio Athletic Conference) will open postseason play in the Division II Seneca East Sectional/District on Tuesday with a home match against Clear Fork. Match time is 5 p.m.
The Tigers, seeded fifth in the district, swept the Lady Colts (5-17, 3-11 MOAC) during the regular season, winning both Mid Ohio Athletic Conference matches 3-0.
Clear Fork, the No. 11 seed, lost five consecutive matches to end the regular season, including three straight in MOAC play to Shelby, Galion, and Highland.
Davis knows what her team needs to work on before taking on the Lady Colts.
“I think we’re going to mostly work on being able talk to each other more. Telling each other where the open spots are,” Davis said.
The Galion-Clear Fork winner will face the winner of the match between No. 4 seed Bellevue (13-9) and No. 14 seed Port Clinton (3-19). That match will be played on Thursday at the home court of the higher seed.
Bellevue defeated Galion 3-2 in the opening match of the season for the Tigers on Aug. 24.
Buckeye Central is the top seed in the Division IV Willard District. The Buckettes will play host to either No. 11 Mansfield St. Peter’s or No. 10 seed Plymouth at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.
