BRADFORD — Tri-Village swept host Bradford 25-21, 25-15, 25-10 in Thursday night varsity volleyball action to secure second place in the Western Ohio Athletic Conference.
The Lady Patriots improved to 12-8 overall and 9-1 in conference play. Bradford fell to 6-15 overall and 4-7 in the WOAC.
Bradford challenged Tri-Village early, taking a 9-8 lead in the opening set. The teams battled to a 10-10 tie before the Lady Patriots scored four unanswered points to take a 14-10 lead.
The Lady Railroaders rallied to tie the set at 18-18, prompting a timeout from the Tri-Village bench. The Lady Patriots responded with four consecutive points to lead 22-18 before closing out the set 25-21.
“Bradford has great players, and they showed up the first set,” said Tri-Village coach Alaine Kirby. “They gave us a good fight the first set.”
Bradford opened the second set with a 3-2 lead before Tri-Village took a 6-3 lead. The Lady Railroaders regrouped, tying the score at 6-6, 8-8, 9-9, and 10-10.
Tri-Village broke the final tie with a 7-0 run to take a 17-10 lead, then finished with a 25-15 victory for a two-set advantage.
The Lady Patriots jumped ahead 9-2 in the third set and outscored Bradford 16-8 the rest of the way to complete the sweep with a 25-10 win.
Kirby said the match gave her team a chance to generate its own energy as tournament play approaches.
“I was proud of them for finding their own energy, and we need to do that,” Kirby said.
Kirby also praised her team’s serve receive and hitting. She noted that Gabby (Kirby) broke her own school record, set two weeks earlier, with 29 kills against Franklin Monroe on Tuesday.
Bradford coach Jamie Hocker said limited numbers have challenged the team throughout the season. The Lady Railroaders have eight players and no junior varsity squad.
“I have eight girls, so it’s very hard to practice,” Hocker said. “It’s hard to put things together. We have our alumni come in on Wednesdays and help practice with us, just so we can actually get some good movement going.”
Despite those challenges, Hocker believes Bradford can succeed in the tournament if her players sustain the energy they showed early against Tri-Village.
“If they just come out here fired up, and that’s the biggest thing is staying up mentally for them,” Hocker said. “If they come out fired up, moving, talking, having fun is a big one for them. If they just come out and do that, they could put it together and go a couple games.”
Kirby also expressed optimism about the Lady Patriots’ postseason prospects.
“I’m hoping as long as my girls show up, I think we’ll be fine in the tournament,” Kirby said. “We should be able to go through at least a few games.”
