JA’s Ava Francis blasts a kill over the net during a 2020 match. Francis has been named the Central Buckeye Conference’s Kenton Trail Division player of the year.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
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Emma Shepherd sends the ball over the net during a match earlier in the 2020 season. Shepherd has been named to the Central Buckeye Conference’s first team in the Kenton Trail Division.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
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Journey Blevins of North Union (right) is the Central Buckeye Conference’s player of the year in the Mad River Division.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
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North Union’s Jordyn Hoffman sets the ball during a 2020 match. Hoffman has been named to the CBC’s Mad River Division first team.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
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The hits just keep on coming for a pair of Union County-area high school volleyball teams.
The Lady Pioneers of Jonathan Alder and their North Union counterparts respectively ruled Divisions II and III in the Central District this season.
Both teams also displayed their superiority among fellow Central Buckeye Conference opponents.
The Lady Pioneers and Lady Cats dominated their respective sides of the conference.
JA captured the Kenton Trail Division crown, while North Union did likewise in the Mad River Division.
Alder posted a perfect 9-0 slate during divisional matches, while NU was 10-0.
The Lady Pioneers are unbeaten (20-0) going into tonight’s regional semifinal match against Dover High School.
The first serve of that contest will go up at 7:30 p.m. at Pickerington North High School.
North Union will open its regional semifinal tournament at 5:30 p.m. today against Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy.
That match will be played at Kettering Fairmont.
NU stands at 22-1 on the season.
The Cats’ lone loss came at the hands of Alder during a CBC cross-over battle in five sets early in the season.
Along with capturing their sides of the circuit, both local teams are home to conference players of the year.
North Union’s Journey Blevins has been named the Mad River player of the year.
JA’s Ava Francis earned the same honor for the Kenton Trail Division.
Both seniors were among the top hitters in the CBC.
Blevins currently has 400 kills for the season, while Francis stands at 333.
Blevins also has 73 blocks heading into tonight’s regional semifinal match.
Francis and Blevins are among several local players to earn first-team honors in the circuit.
Blevins was joined on the Mad River first team by classmate Jordyn Hoffman.
Senior Emma Shepherd of Alder earned first-team honors in the Kenton Trail.
Hoffman has tallied 692 setting assists and topped the CBC in that category.
Shepherd has put 61 ace serves across the net to lead the conference.
Both teams are represented on the CBC’s second teams.
Kailyn DeLauter and Grace Brandt of NU were so named in their division, while Alder’s Kennady Izzard and Lizzie Lombardi were named in the Kenton Trail.
DeLauter, a senior, has notched 49 ace serves and Brandt, a senior, has tallied 58 blocks.
Izzard, also a senior, has 263 digs along the back row to lead the Lady Pioneers.
Lombardi, a junior, is second only to Hoffman in assists with 549.
Special mention honors went to North Union’s Kayla Sedgewick (senior) and JA’s Ellen Kennedy (senior).
Sedgewick has 216 digs on the season.
Kennedy has 167 digs.
Laney Converse of NU and Alder’s Kate Stroupe were named to CBC sportsmanship awards.
Converse, a senior, has notched 117 digs.
Stroupe, also a senior, has 241 serves for the Lady Pioneers.