Martins Ferry Makes Quick Work Of Bellaire In Volleyball
Purple Riders Remain Undefeated With Clean Sweep of Big Reds
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BELLAIRE - Martins Ferry remained unbeaten in high school volleyball action Monday night and it didn't take the visiting Purple Riders very long to accomplish that feat.
In a lightning-quick 49 minutes, head coach Jaela Koller's talented squad posted a 25-12, 25-11 and 25-18 victory over Bellaire (0-4) inside the 'House of Champions' on Guernsey Street.
Despite some sniffles, Martins Ferry (5-0) never trailed in the match as it recorded its third sweep in work(wo)manlike form. The other two wins have seen them win by 3-1 counts.
"These girls have a goal every match. It doesn’t matter who is on the other side of the net, every match is a lion," Koller said. "They've got goals they want to meet. I'm proud of them for the way they played tonight. Half of them aren't feeling real well, so I'm proud of the effort they gave."
After a 1-1 deadlock to start the match, the Purple Riders, who are the defending OVAC Class 3A champions, were never tied or trailing during the remainder of the three sets.
"This group is very talented. They are a very special group. That's one of their missions to defend that OVAC title. I know it is one of mine, as well," Koller said. "I would love to have back-to-back OVAC titles, especially since the school never had one until last year."
Martins Ferry ran out to a 11-3 lead in the first set before Bellaire head coach Kylie Baker called timeout. It didn't faze the Purple Riders who reeled off four more points before Bellaire made it 17-8. After winning a point to make it 18-8, junior Olivia Harkness ran off three straight service points, the last two on aces as the lead ballooned to 21-8. A pair of kills from Giana Chirpas and one by London Hodor gave the visitors set-point, and Maddie Lucas delivered the final dagger for a 25-12 victory.
Another hot start allowed the Purple Riders to jump ahead 15-6 in the second set before cruising to a 25-11 nod.
Bellaire didn't roll over in the third set as the Big Reds trailed 22-13 before scoring five straight points, but could get no closer.
"We definitely picked it up in the third set today," Baker said. "Last Thursday we played St. Clairsville and we looked a little rough. The attitudes were down and it didn't look like we were trying real hard.
"Tonight, obviously we didn't win and that is the main goal of each match, but we played more like a team. The attitudes were up and the girls played hard. That's what I like to see," Baker added. "We're building the program."
Chirpas led the stat sheet with 14 kills, while Maddie Lucas contributed 10 kills and five digs. SJ Koller charted two dozen digs and Olivia Harkness finished with 30 assists and a trio of service aces.
"I told Maddie that she should play with a runny nose every match," Coach Koller said with a laugh. "She played extremely well tonight, as did a lot of players."
Martins Ferry continues a four-match week at Buckeye Local on Tuesday); at Wheeling Central on Wednesday and at home with Barnesville on Thursday.
"This is a big week for us. This was a very nice way to start it off."
Bellaire remains at home as Shadyside visits on Tuesday.