PIQUA — The No. 15 seed Ansonia Lady Tigers showed improvement throughout their second-round tournament match against No. 2 seed Fort Loramie, but the Lady Redskins earned a 25-6, 25-11, 25-15 sweep to end Ansonia’s season.
The Lady Tigers faced a challenging assignment in the OHSAA Division VII Southwest 2 volleyball tournament after advancing with an opening-round victory over Western Ohio Athletic Conference opponent Franklin Monroe.
Ansonia coach Katie Walters said her team prepared for Fort Loramie by scouting the Lady Redskins and making adjustments.
“We did some scouting as much as we could, and we wanted to adjust the lineup to compete with them, and that’s what we came out to do,” Walters said.
Fort Loramie established control early, scoring the first seven points of the opening set. The Lady Redskins maintained their momentum and rolled to a 25-6 win, taking a 1-0 lead.
Despite the difficult start, Ansonia kept competing, and its blocking provided an encouraging sign for Walters.
“We came out really strong blocking-wise,” Walters said. “In one of our timeouts, we were telling them we have way more blocks than what they have. That was exciting for our girls.”
Fort Loramie opened the second set with a 12-4 lead, but Ansonia worked its way back within five points at 16-11. The Lady Redskins answered with nine consecutive points to close out a 25-11 win and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Lady Tigers delivered their most competitive set in the third, staying within three points at 11-8 and remaining within striking distance at 18-13.
Fort Loramie finished with a 7-2 run, securing the 25-15 victory and advancing in tournament play.
Walters said she was pleased with her players’ response as they continued battling after the opening-set loss.
The match marked the final volleyball appearance for Ansonia seniors Elly Locke, No. 2, and Dani Gibbs, No. 17.
“We have two seniors graduating. We’ll miss them. We’ll miss those two,” Walters said. “We have a good group of girls coming back.”
Ansonia’s varsity roster included three freshmen, one sophomore, and seven juniors, giving the Lady Tigers an experienced group to build around next season.
