ARCANUM – The No. 1 seed Arcanum Lady Trojans left no doubt in their OHSAA Division VI first-round matchup, sweeping the No. 14 seed National Trail Lady Blazers 3-0 with commanding set wins of 25-7, 25-11, and 25-4.
“We’re not playing like we’re friends with anyone — at this point it’s business,” said Coach Jacie Holman, recently named WOAC Coach of the Year for the third consecutive season. “I told these girls there’s no guarantee for tomorrow. We’re not messing around because we know if we let someone get in, that’s a mental game, and we’re not allowing that. We’re going to put the game away and keep it under control.”
Arcanum came out firing, opening the first set with an 8-3 lead before using a 7-0 run to extend it to 15-3. The Lady Trojans closed the set on another 7-0 surge, taking the opener 25-7.
National Trail’s lone spark came early in the second set, jumping ahead 3-0 and 4-1 before Arcanum answered with a 10-0 run to take command at 11-4. The Trojans cruised from there for a 25-11 win and a 2-0 match lead.
The third set was all Arcanum, as the Lady Trojans stormed out to leads of 6-0, 9-1, and 19-4 before closing with six straight points to seal the sweep, 25-4. The final set was highlighted by Kamryn Beisner’s record-setting 64th service ace, setting a new Arcanum single-season record.
“Kam got exactly 64 tonight, so I am extremely proud of her,” Holman said. “We’ve had huge accomplishments as a team and as individuals — Grace Fry getting 1,000 assists, Kam breaking the ace record — and that’s been our motto all year: ‘Better You, Better Us.’ We’re implementing that every match, and the best is yet to come.”
Holman said the team has embraced the challenge of wearing the No. 1 seed target.
“We wanted the conference again, and when we got that No. 1 seed, we knew we just made the target bigger,” she said. “But these girls love those challenges. They want to prove we have what it takes. Sometimes I wish they’d relax and enjoy it more, but I love that they know when they step on the court, it’s time to work.”
Holman added that she’s kept her team focused by minimizing pressure talk.
“I told the girls this year it’s kind of that unspoken pressure,” she said. “We’re not going to talk about it much. We’ll just show why we deserve that spot by how we play.”
With the win, Arcanum advances to face No. 10 seed Twin Valley South — 3-0 winners over Legacy Christian — on Tuesday, October 21 at 7 p.m. at Arcanum-Butler High School.
