DELPHOS — Jefferson and Ottoville both came into their non-conference volleyball showdown Thursday with 3-0 marks.
Something had to give in this matchup at Jefferson High School.
The Lady Wildcats kept their perfect record intact with a 25-16, 25-27, 28-26 sweep.
“This is a big win for us and me. This is my fourth year as head coach and I’d never beaten Ottoville; they’ve also given us a lot of trouble over the years, so this is a huge win,” Jefferson coach Diane Wilson explained. “We played them all summer in leagues — about 11 times — so we’re quite familiar with each other; I’m not sure that’s good or bad.”
Volleyball is a game of spurts. Jefferson had two 5-0 runs that put game 1 solidly in its corner in taking a 16-7 edge on an ace by senior Ashley Watkins (8 kills, 7 blocks, 8 digs, 9-of-10 serving, 2 aces). From then, it was a matter of time; when Watkins stuffed an Ottoville kill attempt on game point, Jefferson had a 1-game lead.
Game 2 was much closer. In fact, the Lady Green seemed to have grabbed the momentum with a 7-0 spurt — six on the serving of sophomore Tasha Kaufman (20 assists; 3 aces) — for a 19-12 advantage. Back came the Wildcats behind junior Mallorie Wilson (4 kills, 14 blocks, 15-of-15 serving, 3 aces) and sophomore Bridget Culp (6 kills, 2 digs) to tie it five times. From 25-all, two Lady Green hitting miscues put the Red and Black up 2 games.
“We didn’t finish. We played hard, we hit well, we played good defense; we just didn’t finish,” Ottoville first-year coach Susan Gertsen explained. “We didn’t serve well (14 errors), which cost us. It kept us from building momentum and keeping it. It’s all about confidence for us right now.”
Game 3 was even closer than its predecessor; no team had more than a 5-point lead. Watkins and Culp continued to set the pace for the hosts, with performers like sophomore Kristin Klausing (17 digs, 9-of-12 serving), junior Jenna Miller (6 digs, 3 blocks, 20-of-20 serving for 4 aces) and junior Courtnie Rostorfer (6 digs, 10-of-10 serving) doing their work.
Ottoville utilized the likes of senior Tricia Honigford (12 digs, 13 kills), junior Chelsea Ditto (12 digs) and junior Samantha Modica (8 kills) to counter.
At 26-26, the final service error by the Green and Gold gave the hosts match point. When the visitors were then called for being in the net, that wrapped up the sweep.
“I am very happy with how we played. We didn’t do anything outstanding; we just did everything consistently,” Wilson added. “Mallorie struggled — she’s our key player — and it was nice to see others step in and pick up the slack at the net. The only thing I still haven’t seen yet is the enthusiasm and excitement; I’ve tried everything. We even had a nice crowd behind us; the football team was really helpful in that.”
Sophomore Jamie Rieger added seven assists for Ottoville.
“This is a tough loss. We’re just going to have to pick it back up and come back with intensity,” Gertsen added.
Jefferson hosts Pandora-Gilboa for a 10 a.m. Saturday matchup (JV start).
Ottoville is at USV Tuesday.
Ottoville won the JV clash 13-25, 27-25, 25-17.
Both teams are 2-2.