WINCHESTER, Ind. – The Hagerstown volleyball team won its second straight Class 2A sectional title on Saturday with a 25-13, 25-11, 25-13 victory over Lincoln.
“I was really proud of the we came out and set the tone in the beginning of each set,” Hagerstown Head Coach Brian Dale said. “In the first and second set, we got really big leads. When you play in the tournament that’s what you really want to do. You want to get that big lead and really make it tough on the other team.”
The Tigers (32-1) advance to next Saturday’s regional to face Heritage Christian (15-14) at noon in the second contest at Triton Central. Shenandoah (18-17) and Covenant Christian (33-1) square off in the opener at 10 a.m. The championship is slated for 7 p.m.
“We’re looking forward to going down (there) and putting on a show for our community,” Dale said of the trip to Fairland.
It was the fourth overall crown for the Tigers, who in addition to last year won in 1979 and 1992.
“I’m really proud of them,” Dale said. “They looked really good offensively and defensively.”
Jessica Swimm led the Tigers with 13 kills, while Lanie McClanahan added seven kills and Regan Tinkle contributed six.
Beth Jenkins finished with 26 assists and 10 digs. Lacee Dale had eight digs.
For the Golden Eagles (18-13), Laynie Russell led the way with six kills and four digs. Allie Owens finished with five kills, six dogs and a pair of aces.
“We got off to a rough start,” Lincoln Head Coach Greg Seidner said. “They’re a really good team. They’ve got so many weapons, it’s hard to defend them.”
“I was proud of my girls,” Seidner added. “We ended the season 8-2 in the last 10 games and we got on a roll.”
Rachel Merida had 15 assists and Hannah Hall had 10 digs. Emmie Pugh added an ace.
The Semifinals
Hagerstown reached the finale with a win over Centerville 25-21, 25-8, 25-14.
Swimm led the Tigers with 13 kills with Tinkle adding nine. McClanahan had five.
Jenkins finished with 16 assists and Dale had eight digs.
For the Bulldogs (18-11), Sidne Thompson led with seven kills. Addie Walther added six kills.
Morgan Toschlog finished with 11 digs and Ally Staton had 18 assists.
Lincoln defeated Union County 25-18, 25-17, 25-21 to earn its ticket to the title contest.
Russell and Pugh led the Golden Eagles with 10 kills apiece. Owens added eight.
Rachel Merida had 28 assists. Russell adding 10 digs and Pugh nine.
The Patriots (20-13) were led by Madison Rosenberger with 18 kills. Olivia Schwab finished with seven.
Rachel Grissom had 28 assists and nine digs. Rosenberger, Fayth Hill and Quinn Stephens all had six digs.