Ava Francis (24) and Jaden Phelps (23) of Jonathan Alder go up for a block against Dover during Thursday’s match at Pickerington North High School. The Lady Panthers beat the Tornadoes, 3-1, to advance to Saturday’s Division II regional championship match against Thornville Sheridan.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
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The ball gets past Jonathan Alder blockers Gracie Nees (22) and Ellie Heisler (26) on this hit by Dover during Thursday’s Division II regional semifinals. The Lady Pioneers, though, won, 3-1, during the match that was held at Pickerington North High School.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
There aren’t many times when a coach can find a silver lining in a loss.
Jonathan Alder volleyball boss Joe Ross, however, went against that grain a bit on Thursday.
The Lady Pioneers dropped a 19-25 verdict to Dover during the opening set of the Division II regional semifinal at Pickerington North High School.
“We were a little nervous during that first set, but losing it was possibly the best thing for us after sweeping Highland last week,” said Ross.
“I think the initial game woke us up a bit and reminded us that everybody who is still playing at this level is very good and we shouldn’t be surprised by that.”
Jonathan Alder shook off the cobwebs and won the next three sets to claim victory during the regional semifinal.
Alder bounced back to tie the match at 1-1 with a 25-17 triumph during the second set.
JA went on to win the semifinal with 25-12, 25-13 victories.
Neither team had a clear-cut advantage during the opening minutes of the initial set.
Emma Shepherd notched a kill and ace serve as Alder held a 5-4 edge.
The Tornadoes took a 7-5 margin when the Lady Pioneers sent the ball into the net.
Dover maintained the upper hand for the rest of the set.
The Lady Pioneers had trouble keeping the ball in play.
The Tornadoes also took advantage of JA’s defensive lapses.
“We went away from our normal defense when they put a lot of kills down in the corners,” said Ross. “We weren’t able to get to a lot of them.”
A kill from Morgan Kiser pushed Dover out to a 17-11 lead.
Ava Francis blasted a pair of her 20 kills and Shepherd added another as Alder narrowed its deficit to 22-18.
Hitting miscues by the Pioneers, however, allowed Dover to go up 1-0 in sets.
The ensuing game was deadlocked at points four, five, six and seven.
Alder took an 8-7 edge when the Tornadoes sent the sphere sailing out of bounds.
Ace serves from Kate Stroupe and Francis, plus kills from Francis and Shepherd allowed Jonathan Alder to build its lead to 18-11.
JA took a 20-14 advantage when Gracie Nees and Shepherd teamed for a block.
Dover closed the gap to 20-17 over the next several minutes as Alder had trouble keeping the ball in play.
The Lady Pioneers later scored three quick points on Shepherd’s ace serve and kills from Ellie Heisler and Nees.
Nees’ tip over the net put JA at set point, 24-17.
Dover sent the ball out of play to end the set and even the match at 1-1.
The Lady Pioneers shifted into an extra gear for the next two games.
Kills from Shepherd and Nees gave Alder a 7-5 lead in the third game.
The advantage then doubled at 10-5 on Shepherd’s ace serve.
Francis rifled several heat-seeking missile kills over the next few minutes as the Pioneers’ lead climbed to 18-9.
Shepherd added a pair of kills for a 21-12 advantage.
Kennady Izzard scored an ace serve.
Nees then blocked a Tornado shot for a 25-12 Alder victory.
The Lady Pioneers had no trouble putting away Dover during the final set.
Stroupe blooped a couple of serves that hugged the side line for aces as JA took an early 4-0 edge.
“Those were great serves,” said Ross. “I honestly didn’t think they’d stay in play.”
Alder fans were then brought to their feet when Francis made a diving save on a dig and then blasted a kill for a 5-1 margin.
Kills from Jaden Phelps and Shepherd gave JA an 8-2 lead.
The Tornadoes later cut the gap to 13-9, but consecutive kills from Francis gave Alder breathing room at 18-10.
Phelps tipped over a kill for a 21-12 lead.
Francis served an ace and Phelps put down a kill that left JA only one point away (24-12) from victory.
Phelps then ended the match with another kill.
Ross said the Lady Pioneers overcame their jitters when they began to “trust ourselves more.
“We went back to trusting the type of defense we play,” he said. “Once that happened, we were able to get digs on Dover’s good hitters.”
The Lady Pioneers will put their 21-0 record on the line when they return for the regional championship match.
The first serve is set to go up at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Pickerington North.
The Lady Pioneers will face Thornville Sheridan (27-1) for the right to advance to next week’s state Final Four.
Sheridan defeated Byesville Meadowbrook, 3-1, during the other regional semifinal match.