FRHS spikers get back in the win column

NEW KNOXVILLE, Ohio — The Tribe has had a tough go of it this season.

Combine a young lineup with a tough Midwest Athletic Conference and you get a recipe for disaster.

But the Indians finally broke through with their first conference win.

Fort Recovery High School’s volleyball team picked up its first MAC win 25-19, 25-20, 25-23 over the New Knoxville Rangers on Thursday.

The Tribe (5-10, 1-5 MAC) put down 28 balls in the victory, including 17 from Cameron Muhlenkamp. Brynn Willmann added seven kills, while Alexis Grisez and Bridget Homan each had three and Kenna Dues added two. Kayden Ranly assisted the attackers 24 times.

Willmann excelled behind the service line, dropping six balls in for aces. In total, the Rangers (7-8, 2-4 MAC) failed to return 15 of Fort Recovery’s serves.

Homan led the defensive effort at the net with five of the Indians’ nine blocks.

Four Indians had double digit digs. Homan and Ranly led with 13 digs apiece, while Kayla Gaerke and Dues each had 12.

Second in ACAC

BERNE — The Jay County boys tennis team picked up its second Allen County Athletic Conference victory on Thursday with a 3-2 win over the South Adams Starfires.

The victory locked up second place in the conference for the Patriots (12-5, 2-1 ACAC). Bluffton claimed the conference title after beating JCHS, South Adams and Adams Central.

Clark Wellman won a pivotal No. 3 singles match for Jay County over Griffin Hill 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 to decide the match. He trailed 5-4 in the third set with the match on the line before ripping off three straight games.

Kadyn Carpenter and Alex Miller handled the No. 1 doubles match 6-0, 6-1 over Ben Dubach and Eli Habegger, while Gabe Overton and Brock Wasson picked up a 6-1, 6-2 victory over William Faust and James Lehman in the No. 2 doubles contest.

Paul Dirksen and Henry Dirksen dropped the No. 1 and 2 singles matches to Kade Sprunger and Cole Hyman. Paul Dirksen fell to Sprunger 6-3, 6-1, while Hyman defeated Henry Dirksen 6-4, 6-3.