PREBLE COUNTY — While neither Eaton or Preble Shawnee volleyball are leading their respective conference, both teams are hanging near the top of the standings as the final stretch of the season begins.
Preble Shawnee (10-2, 5-0 WOAC) defeats National Trail (3-7, 1-4 WOAC), Tri-County North (5-7, 2-3 WOAC)
The Arrows continued their impressive start to the season, picking up a pair of wins over conference and county opponents this week.
Preble Shawnee got things started with a win in straight sets over National Trail, 25-14, 25-10, 25-21, on Tuesday, Sept. 14.
Junior Harlee Howard led the Arrows with 14 kills, followed by junior Liv Thompson with seven. Senior Carlyn George led with 29 assists, while Howard added a team-high 16 digs. Sophomore Korrie Woodard contributed 12 digs, and George followed pace with 11.
For the Blazers, senior Jenna Petitt led with five kills and tied a team-high 13 digs (alongside senior Mykenzie Smith). Sophomore Kynzie Everman led with seven assists, and sophomore Addison Sparks added 11 digs.
Later in the week, the Arrows won in straight sets at Tri-County North, 25-6, 25-3, 25-11, on Thursday, Sept. 16.
Howard led once again with 22 kills on 36 total attempts, and was second in digs with 10 (behind Woodard’s 11). George finished with 45 assists, and junior Cora Neihoff was second on the team with eight kills.
North junior Rilee Terry led the Panthers with three kills, while senior Bree Wayman had 10 digs. Junior Taylor Smith led with 11 assists.
The Arrows will host Bradford on Tuesday, Sept. 21, and travel to Twin Valley South on Thursday, Sept. 23.
In addition to the loss to Preble Shawnee, North fell to Greenon, 25-11, 25-21, 25-19, and Bradford, 25-19, 25-18, 25-13.
The Panthers are set to travel to Franklin Monroe on Tuesday, Sept. 21, and Dixie on Wednesday, Sept. 22, before hosting New Miami on Saturday, Sept. 25.
Twin Valley South (5-7, 2-3 WOAC) downs Trail (3-7, 1-4 WOAC) 25-16, 25-11, 25-18
Twin Valley South kept its distance throughout its contest with National Trail on Thursday, Sept. 16, winning in three dominant sets.
South freshman Jayce Mowell put 13 points on the board for the team with a total of 18 good serves, and contributed 11 set assists. Senior Taylor Mowell added 13 set assists and 10 good serves. Taylor Mowell, junior Katie Wright and senior Morgan Harrod each had six digs with Skylyn Mowell leading the way with seven digs. Lauren Cole led with 10 kills.
For the Blazers, sophomore Addison Sparks led with seven kills, while senior Jenna Petitt had six and senior J’da Jackson had five. Sophomore Kynzie Everman had 11 assists.
The Blazers will host Arcanum on Tuesday, Sept. 21, and travel to Tri-Village on Thursday, Sept. 23.
Earlier in the week, the Panthers lost in four sets to Ansonia on Tuesday, Sept. 14. Harrod led with 15 kills, while Taylor Mowell led the team in serving, putting up 29 serves and four service aces while contributing 21 set assists. Senior Skylyn Mowell led with 18 digs.
The Panthers will travel to Mississinawa Valley on Tuesday, Sept. 21 and host Preble Shawnee on Thursday, Sept. 23.
Eaton (7-3, 5-1 SWBL) picks up pair of straight set wins
The Eagles moved to 7-3 on the season with a pair of straight set wins this week over Madison 25-10, 25-11, 25-19, and Brookville 25-7, 25-12, 25-13.
Against the Mohawks, junior Olivia Baumann led with 18 kills, followed closely by senior Jenna Ditmer with 14. Baumann and junior Elise Hewitt led with 13 digs, and junior Bailey Jerdon led with 39 assists.
Against Brookville, Baumann and Ditmer paced the team in kills, with 15 and 12 respectively, while junior Lily Shepherd had five. Hewitt led with seven digs, and Jerdon had 27 assists.
The Eagles will visit Chaminade Julienne on Monday, Sept. 20, and Valley View on Tuesday, Sept. 21 for a conference showdown among the top two teams.
