FRHS volleyball is awarded No. 3 seed

FORT LORAMIE, Ohio  — The Indians didn’t play their best match over the weekend, but it didn’t matter as they secured a top-three seed.

The Division III No. 8 Fort Recovery High School volleyball team received the No. 3 seed in the OHSAA Division III Northwest 3 sectional tournament Sunday after losing to Division IV No. 1 Fort Loramie 25-13, 25-22, 25-22, 25-13 on Saturday.

In the sectional, the Indians (14-5) took a first-round bye and will play for a sectional championship at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 18 at St. Henry. They will take on the winner of an opening-round match between seventh-seeded Allen East and ninth-seeded Wayne Trace. 

Summer Hoying exploded for 19 kills, while the rest of the team contributed 27.

Fort Recovery’s Teigan Fortkamp matched Hoying’s 19 kills, but the rest of the team brought in 16 combined. Attacking errors killed the Indians, as they had 50 throughout the match.

Fort Recovery played well at the net, totaling 16 blocks. Saige Leuthold led the way with seven assisted blocks, while Paige Guggenbiller was only one behind with six. Karlie Niekamp and Mara Pearson both contributed one as well.

Fort Loramie also played well at the net, blocking 11 attacks in the match. Skyler Albers had the only solo block, while recording five assisted blocks. Hoying and Victoria Mescher both had four assisted blocks to follow up Albers.

If Fort Recovery wins the sectional championship, it will advance to the district tournament at Kalida. It would face off against the winner of the other sectional in the lower half of the bracket, where No. 3 and second-seeded St. Henry is the favorite ahead of eighth-seeded Van Buren and 10th-seeded Riverdale.

The top half of the bracket includes No. 2 and top seed Coldwater playing 12th-seeded Jefferson in the opening round with the winner to take on 11th-seeded Paulding for a sectional championship. Also, fifth-seeded Bluffton will open against sixth-seeded Ottawa-Glandorf with the winner to play fourth-seeded Parkway for a sectional title.