By Jim Freeman
Ansonia rallies to win three close sets and advance; Franklin Monroe’s season ends.
Sidney – Ansonia and Franklin Monroe delivered the hard-fought match many expected. The Tigers came through in the close moments, winning 25–23, 23–25, 25–15, 25–22 to advance in the postseason.
“This is a big win for us,” Ansonia coach Katie Walters said. “We knew coming into this that it was going to be a hard-fought match, and both teams never really gave up.”
The teams traded narrow wins in the first two sets. Ansonia took the opener, 25–23, before Franklin Monroe answered with a 25–23 win to even the match. Walters said the Tigers’ slow starts have been a season-long pattern, but the team has worked on how to respond.
“It feels like we always lose the first three points of every set,” she said. “As soon as we lose those three points, us coaches and the team and the bench, everyone’s like, ‘Let’s dig deep, let’s lock in.’”
That mindset helped Ansonia regain control in the third set, winning 25–15. Walters said taking the opening set mattered, even after the Jets evened the match. “When you take that first win, and I know we lost the second one, but we got to dig deep and lock in in that third game, and that’s what helped us a lot tonight.”
Franklin Monroe stayed within reach in the fourth. The Jets led 20–18 before Ansonia fought back to tie the set at 20. The Tigers then edged ahead, and Franklin Monroe called timeout at 22–20. The Jets saved a match point to make it 24–22, but Ansonia finished the set, 25–22.
“We are very competitive with them,” Walters said. “We won by two, they won by two … then game four we only won by three. That was a competitive game for us.”
Walters praised sophomore Tara Seger, who entered in the second set and gave the Tigers a strong serving run. “When we need a good server in, we know we can count on her,” Walters said. She also recognized Annie Wendel’s blocking and hitting at the net, and Brianna Waymire’s aggressive, dependable serving. An unofficial count had Ansonia with 14 aces.
“This was a good serving game for us,” Walters said. “We’ve been working a lot on pressure serving, and it’s really paying off.”
Franklin Monroe coach Ashley Day said a serve-receive struggle in one rotation hurt the Jets in the first set. She was proud of the team’s response in the second, when it minimized errors to even the match, and of the players’ continued fight. The loss ends the season for Franklin Monroe and its four seniors: Jaylin Swiger, Reagan Flora, Emma Muhlenkamp and Brooklyn Miller.
Walters also thanked Mississinawa Valley, whose team came to support Ansonia. “We’re big rivals with them, but they came out, they supported us, and we’re turning it around supporting them tomorrow,” she said.
The Tigers advance to face Fort Loramie, the No. 2 seed and a state-ranked team. Walters said Ansonia will focus on competing and playing its style. “If we play like we did tonight, that’s exactly what we’ll do on Thursday.”
