Patriots fall in semifinal

FORT WAYNE — Early deficits in each of the first two games were too much for the Patriots to overcome.
Jay County High School’s volleyball team broke through to win the third game, but couldn’t sustain that momentum as it fell 25-17, 25-13, 23-25, 25-13 Saturday to Huntington North in semifinal round of the Class 4A Sectional 6 tournament at South Side.
The Vikings went on to sweep the host Archers 25-17, 25-10, 25-17 to win the sectional title.
“Obviously I don’t think we played our best, but we didn’t play bad,” said JCHS coach Fred Medler. “When you look down the roster, Huntington North has three seniors and three juniors primarily playing, and I think that experience showed up.”
Huntington North’s Emiley Gray opened the match with an ace as the Vikings ran out to a 5-1 lead and never trailed. They also got off to a hot start in the second game, leading 10-1 before Jay County called a timeout to slow them down.
The Patriots closed the gap to two points in the first game before Huntington North junior Jessie Drew took over. She ripped three kills and came up with a block on Kylie Osborne during a 7-0 run that put the eventual champions firmly in control.
A handful of attack errors helped the Vikings build their game-two lead, and they never let the advantage slip to fewer than four points.
Medler said his team made life too easy on Huntington North’s defense in the opening two games.
“And I still thought we had a shot to close the gap and maybe make it a tight battle (in the first game),” said Medler. “And I think if we got game one instead of game three it might have been a different story.
“They’re back row really came through in the second game.”
After falling behind again 3-0 in the third game, Jay County recovered and traded the lead back-and-forth with the Vikings to a 17-all tie. Then freshman Ava Kunkler got hot, recording three kills in a span of five points to give the Patriots the lead for good.
Katie Aker and Kylie Osborne also had kills down the stretch before the game ended on a Huntington North service error.
“I think our grit came through in the third game,” Medler said. “I think our kids really dug down and fought hard. Ava caught fire with our hitting, and that happened because our passers were doing a much better job.”
But Huntington North again opened a sizable lead in the fourth game, and the Patriots were unable to recover.
Josie Beaver led the Vikings to the victory with nine kills and nine blocks, and Alexis Wygant added seven kills and nine blocks. Alexa Hill put up 15 assists, Jessie Drew matched Beaver and Wygant with nine blocks, Mikayla Carpenter had 12 digs and Gray recorded four aces.
Hannah Ainsworth, Jay County’s lone senior, closed her career with 19 assists, eight digs and eight service points on a perfect 17-of-17 effort.
“That’s a tough kid to replace,” said Medler. “She brought (a quiet type of) leadership to this bunch. …
“You never questioned whether she was trying to give her best, because she always was. She always did, every play.
“We’re going to miss that.”
Osborne totaled eight kills, and Kunkler followed with seven. Bre McIntire had eight digs.
Jay County finished at 11-23, but made significant strides late in the season. The Patriots had won seven of 11 matches before falling to Huntington North after going 4-18 in their first 22 of the season.
“I’m pleased,” said Medler. “We were not totally mentally depressed but we were not happy with how the season was going. … (Then) we went 6-4 (in the final 10 matches of the regular season) …
“I thought (beating New Haven in the sectional opener) was a big win for us. … I think we ended on a positive note. … And I think they left with a taste of good things to come.
“I think the will to get better is there.”

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