BROOKVILLE — Arcanum scored the first 18 points of the match and rolled past Preble Shawnee 25-4, 25-8, 25-14 Tuesday night in an Ohio High School Athletic Association Division V district volleyball semifinal.
The second-seeded Lady Trojans earned their 21st victory, and a return trip to the district championship match behind long-serving runs and the quicker tempo coach Jacie Holman had been seeking.
“I’m extremely happy. I felt like that’s the team that I’ve been missing here lately,” Holman said. “The tempo of the game was way more our speed, and I want to continue to make it even a little bit faster than what it is.”
Senior Jordyn Garbig served during Arcanum’s opening 18-0 run, keeping the Lady Arrows off the service line until the Lady Trojans established control.
“Ever since our last tournament game, that was a focus of ours: starting out strong,” Holman said. “Not just job well done to her, but to the entire team that we could keep that much of a run in that first set.”
Arcanum, which finished 11-0 in the Western Ohio Athletic Conference, carried that momentum into the second set. Sophomore Halle Bennett served during a 10-0 start, and the Lady Trojans extended their advantage to 20-6 before closing out a 25-8 victory.
Preble Shawnee took a 5-4 lead early in the third set as Holman adjusted her lineup. Arcanum responded with an 18-7 run to build a 22-12 advantage and finished the sweep with a 25-14 win.
“We had made some adjustments by putting some other girls in different spots,” Holman said. “I think they knew that game was theirs, and they were kind of ready to be done, and we had to change that mentality moving forward.”
Holman welcomed Cameron Garbig’s return to the lineup after an injury-related absence.
“Having Cam back … makes a difference,” Holman said. “I’m just so proud of her. And I think she just brings something to the team that we were missing.”
Despite the decisive victory, Holman identified missed serving opportunities in the third set as an area to address before the district final.
“Tomorrow we’ll be hitting serving pretty hard because we cannot do that in the district final game or move any point forward in the tournament,” she said.
Arcanum will face either No. 9 seed Norwood or No. 3 seed Cincinnati Miami Valley Christian Academy at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, at Monroe. Those teams were scheduled to meet Wednesday night.
Returning to the district final fulfills a goal Holman and her players established at the beginning of the season. The Lady Trojans intend to keep going.
“The girls had it in their minds that we were doing it, and so we did anything and everything that we could,” Holman said. “I would like to say I don’t think district finals is where we’re stopping.”
“This team isn’t done, and I’m really proud of them.”
