VOLLEYBALL: Lady War Eagles take a three set win over Summer Creek on Senior Night

SHENANDOAH, Texas - The Oak Ridge High School Volleyball Team had their last home conference match of the 2015-2016 season on Tuesday before they begin playoffs next week. The Lady War Eagles took on Summer Creek for the second time this season, and once again, Oak Ridge came out on top, defeating the Lady Bulldogs in three sets: 25-21, 25-10, 25-9

Set one would deem most difficult for the Lady War Eagles out of the three, but it was still a very strong set. Although Summer Creek had the first point, Oak Ridge remained in the lead for the beginning, and after a kill from sophomore Molly Russell, the Lady War Eagles had a three-point lead, 11-8. Summer Creek fought back, however, and although Russell quickly garnered two more kills, Lady Bulldog Daron Danae tied it up 14-14 after two kills. Summer Creek took the lead after blocking an Oak Ridge attempt, but after kills from junior Hannah Mikelonis and senior Rhyan Johnson, the set was once again tied, 18-18. Oak Ridge’s intensity increased by the end of the set, as they slowly started to pull ahead of Summer Creek. Juniors Brooke Clark and Hailey Lohnes both had kills, with assists from sophomore Carly Graham, giving Oak Ridge a 23-21 lead. Junior Raigen Cianciulli then had a kill, giving the Lady War Eagles a 25-21 first set win over Summer Creek.

For set two, Oak Ridge displayed great teamwork and lots of energy on the court. After quickly taking a 7-3 lead over the Lady Bulldogs, Summer Creek called a timeout to regroup. Clark, Russell and Mikelonis all had kills to start off the set, as well as an ace from Clark. After a kill from Lohnes, Oak Ridge gained six consecutive points over Summer Creek, taking an 18-9 lead. Both Johnson and Lohnes got more kills, as well as a great block from Lohnes. After an ace from junior Sarah Smedley, it was match point for Oak Ridge and a kill from Clark sealed the deal and gave the Lady War Eagles a second set win, 25-10, leading the Lady Bulldogs in the match 2-0.

The third set was similar to the second, as the Lady War Eagles were more than ready to play on their home court for the last time this season. Oak Ridge took an early 8-3 lead over Summer Creek. Oak Ridge couldn't be stopped, and would go on to score 10 consecutive points, taking a 17-4 lead. Smedley then had an ace, as well as more kills from Oak Ridge including Johnson and Russell, bringing the score to 22-7. Two back-to-back kills from Clark gave Oak Ridge the win for set three, 25-9. The Lady War Eagles defeated the Summer Creek Lady Bulldogs in three sets.

“I think that our girls fought really hard from point one, all the way through the third game to point 25,” said head coach Tommie Lynne Sledge. “I feel like they never let down, and they just continued to excel and get better. It’s easy to play down, especially when someone gets frustrated, and I feel like they did a good job not doing that and using the opportunity to prepare us for the next game and the next stage of the season.”

It was also senior night for the Lady War Eagles as seniors McCauley Fuller and Rhyan Johnson, and team manager Jennifer Ramirez, were recognized by their coaches and teammates.

“They are a special group of girls that definitely tug at my heartstrings,” said Sledge. “I feel like the most blessed coach to have these ladies in our program. I am very proud of them.”

Next up for the Lady War Eagles is playoffs. Their first playoff match will be on Tuesday against either Klein or Klein Oak. Coach Sledge and her team look forward to the playoffs and are focusing on achieving one goal at a time.

“We have always been ‘one goal at a time,’ so the goal is obviously to win next Tuesday and be bi-district champs,” said Sledge. “And then fight for area, which is some place that we have been once before but we were not successful. So they could be making some history here, and they are excited about that.”