KETTERING — Versailles combined strong serving, balanced hitting and steady defense to sweep Madeira 25-16, 25-12, 25-13 and capture an OHSAA Division V regional volleyball championship.
The Lady Tigers shook off an early first-set deficit and controlled the final two sets to punch their ticket to the state semifinals.
“What a team win! What a team effort!” Versailles coach Liz McNeilan said. “Everybody from every angle was doing their job. Came in, remained mentally confident, remained physically confident in their skill set. Proud of these girls; they did an awesome job.”
Versailles will face undefeated South Range at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, at Wittenberg University’s Pam Evans Smith Arena.
The Lady Tigers opened the match with a 3-1 lead before Madeira answered with a 6-1 run to move ahead 7-4. Versailles responded with a 5-1 spurt to regain the lead at 9-8, then stretched the margin to 16-11, prompting a Madeira timeout.
Versailles continued pulling away to take the opening set 25-16.
McNeilan said the Lady Tigers worked through some early excitement before settling into their game.
“Sometimes you make those little errors that you just need to refocus, take a deep breath and dial back in,” she said. “And the girls did just that; they did awesome.”
Madeira held early leads of 4-3 and 5-4 in the second set, but Versailles took command with five unanswered points for a 9-5 advantage. The Lady Tigers pushed the lead to 11-6, bringing another timeout from the Lady Amazons’ bench.
The break did little to slow Versailles, which rolled to a 25-12 victory and a two-set lead.
McNeilan credited the Lady Tigers’ serving with disrupting Madeira’s offense and limiting opportunities for its hitters.
“Our servers remained confident from behind that service line,” she said.
After discussing serving strategies and confidence, Versailles put that approach into practice in the regional final.
“We just talked about the mental state of it,” McNeilan said. “We talked about some strategies, where we were going to serve, build some confidence, and then bring the heat once you remain confident. And the girls did that today.”
Versailles carried that momentum into the third set, scoring the first three points. Madeira stayed within 6-4 before senior Kiley May served during an eight-point run that pushed the Lady Tigers’ advantage to 14-4.
Versailles extended the margin to 20-6 and finished the sweep with a 25-13 win.
McNeilan praised the connection between her team’s blocking, backcourt defense, setting and hitting, saying each part helped the next do its job. The Lady Tigers kept their offense organized and received contributions from players across multiple classes.
“We enter that court as Lady Tigers, and they played like that today,” she said.
The performance also reflected a team connection McNeilan said extends well beyond the players on the floor. Versailles spent time together the night before the regional final, and she believed that helped the group arrive focused on its goal.
McNeilan credited the reserves for bringing energy and challenging their teammates in practice.
“A lot of these girls would start at other teams and other schools,” she said. “They make us better.”
The Lady Tigers now turn their attention to South Range and the opportunity to advance to the state championship match. McNeilan said the approach remains the same as the tournament field narrows.
“Everybody’s good,” she said. “It’s not easy, and the tournament doesn’t matter how you win.”
“One step at a time, take care of our job. We’re excited for Friday.”
McNeilan also thanked the Versailles fans who turned out for the regional championship.
“What a great showing of the crowd here today,” she said. “We heard you, we appreciate you, and we thank you. Let’s go, Tigers!”
