RAIDERS PREVAIL OVER UNITED TO WIN SECTIONALS

CANFIELD OH- South Range found themselves hosting an old foe on Thursday as they played United with a sectional title on the line. With one win separating the two team’s records it promised to be a tight competitive match. It definitely lived up to the hype as the Raiders came out on top in a  close four set victory (23-25 28-26 25-9 25-21).

The first two sets of the night were decided by two points. They traded blows back and forth as Tori Tschappatt and Izzy Lamparty both were able to find rhythm for their respective sides. United came out on top of set 1 25-23, while the Raiders finally ended a long set 2 28-26.

The third set is when things turned, and dramatically. The Raiders turned up the aggressiveness from the serve line and gave the Eagles fits. Julia Blasko served for 11 points in a row as the Raiders rolled through set 3 25-9.

Credit to the Eagles for bringing back their toughness in set 4, it would have been easy to pack it in. That’s not what United is about. They fought like crazy to stay in set 4. Lamparty and Ally Sauerwein both proved to be too much for the Eagles to handle out of the middle. The Raiders pulled out the 25-21 win to seal the match.

Lamparty has a tremendous night with 19 kills and 5 blocks. Ally Sauerwein finished with 8 blocks. Julia Blasko served well for the Raiders finishing with 5 aces. Reagan Irons led the defense with 23 digs. Sarah Kuhns ran the offense and set up 14 assists.

Tschappatt led the Eagles with 11 kills on the night. Senior Brooke Smith went out on a high note leading the team with 15 digs. Haley Dees finished with a match high 28 assists.

The Raiders advance to the district semifinals where they will travel to Cardinal the second seed in the bracket. That match will start at 6:00