Leipsic’s Alivia Jones spikes the ball past Patrick Henry’s Riley Brent (2) and Megan Meyer (8) during a Thursday night sectional final at Leipsic.
Nate Reynolds | The Lima News
LEIPSIC — The second match Thursday night at Leipsic, the host Vikings took on the Patrick Henry Patriots with the chance for a rematch with the Miller City Wildcats.
The hosts blitzed the Patriots 25-13 in the first set and finished the sweep with wins of 25-19, 25-16.
After a tight early first set, a six-point spurt gave Leipsic a 9-4 advantage. Behind their strong hitting front line, such as Danaysia Danzy (18 kills) and Alivia Jones they built a 20-11 lead closing the set on a 4-0 run, with a Jones kill to finish it off, giving them set one.
“We were very aggressive, very good, serves very good offense, setting the ball in the front row and we knew that is what it was gonna take serving the ball tough to them. We got tons of free balls, tons of roll shots, tons of tips, and return for a good service, that was the key to the whole night,” Leipsic coach Brett Newell said.
The Patriots (11-13) battled in set two and fought their way on relatively equal terms with several small spurts, but a 4-0 Vikings rally ended the set with a Danzy spike off the block.
However, the Vikings’ balanced attack was no match for Patrick Henry with Jones’ 15 kills and a perfect 17 for 17 serving, Kamryn Brough added 38 assists and 17 digs along with Samantha Hazelton’s 25 digs to the Viking triumph.
“I thought we did a good job mixing the ball up. I mean, other teams usually know where the ball is going. But we need to get kills from some other players besides our top 2. Attack players, and whenever we can get kills from other players, that’s bonus points for us,” Newell said.
The third set was more nip-and-tuck for the first half, as a serving error by Leipsic brought the Patriots to within 13-12. However, a Danzy bomb started a 6-1 spurt to put Leipsic in front 19-13. This time, a 5-point run, capped by a Danzy kill, completed the sweep.
“So we’re gonna enjoy this victory all the way till tomorrow. And then at 3:30, we’re back to work.” Newell said.
The Vikings (16-2) will play Miller City at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Van Wert.
David Boninsegna wrote this story for LimaScores.com. Reach The Lima News sports department at 567-242-0451.
