Marysville’s Natalie McNicholas (9) attempts to send the ball past a Dublin Jerome blocker on Thursday. Also pictured for MHS are Jillian Gardner (3) and Abby Altizer. The Lady Monarchs fell to the Celtics in four sets. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
The Lady Monarch volleyball squad faced a tough task when it hosted Dublin Jerome Thursday evening.
Marysville, however, gave the 14-4 Celtics all they wanted as Jerome needed four sets to down the local team.
Marysville fell 25-22, 15-25, 22-25, 19-25 on Educator Appreciation Night.
Members of the volleyball program honored teachers who have played important roles in their lives.
“It was a very competitive match,” said Lady Monarch coach Bethany Bentz, whose team slipped to 10-10 on the season.
Marysville, which will host Hilliard Darby for Senior Night on Tuesday, got off to a quick start.
A tip kill by Jillian Gardner tied the opening set at 3-3.
The Lady Monarchs then took advantage of several Jerome hitting and passing miscues to grab an 8-4 advantage.
That margin stretched by one point when Abby Altizer and Gardner combined for a block.
Marysville’s momentum continued when Ella Morris’ kill elevated the lead to 12-4.
The Celtics, however, began a slow, but steady comeback.
Jerome’s deficit shrunk to 16-13 when MHS couldn’t keep a block in play.
Carys Gossett delivered a tip kill that slowed Jerome’s rally. That gave MHS a 17-13 edge.
Natalie McNicholas and Gardner came up with kills that allowed Marysville to climb to a 22-15 lead.
The Lady Celtics couldn’t narrow their gap to less than four points down the stretch.
Katie Palmer’s kill put MHS at set point with a 24-19 margin.
Dublin Jerome tallied three quick points, but couldn’t keep a dig on the court as Marysville won 25-22.
An ace serve from Palmer gave the Lady Monarchs an 8-6 lead early in the ensuing game.
The Celtics, however, got on a roll and later climbed to a 15-11 margin on a kill by Cali Judge.
MHS’ hitting miscues mounted during the final minutes of the game.
The Lady Monarchs mistimed a pair of set-to-hit plays as Jerome lifted itself to a 24-15 spread.
The set ended with the Celtics’ 10-point victory on an MHS block that sailed out-of-bounds.
Marysville regrouped and made the third and fourth sets much more exciting.
The third game was tied at points eight, nine, 10 and 11.
The Celtics pushed out to a 13-11 edge before the Lady Monarchs battled for a 17-all deadlock.
MHS jumped on top 19-17 before Jerome tied the set at 19-19.
An errant serve reception by Marysville later gave the Celtics a 22-21 lead.
The Dublin squad controlled the net the next several minutes and climbed to a 24-22 lead.
The Celtics took a 2-1 edge in sets when an ace serve gave them a 25-22 victory.
Marysville whittled an early deficit to 9-5 during the fourth set on McNicholas’ kill.
The Lady Monarchs fought back and sliced their gap to 16-15 on another kill from McNicholas.
Jerome maintained leads of two and three points during ensuing serving rotations.
An errant Monarch serve pushed the visitors out to a 21-18 lead.
MHS tipped the ball out of play to give Jerome a 23-19 spread.
The Lady Monarchs then sent a pair of serve receptions off the court for the Celtics’ 25-19 triumph.
Marysville tallied 50 kills through the four games.
McNicholas led with 13, while Madison Fluharty and Morris both added nine. Gardner came up with eight.
“That’s a good deal of kills for four sets and we only made five errors,” said Bentz.
Gossett and Morris both tallied four blocks.
Morgan Shick notched 28 digs, while Jayanti Geerets added 18.
“I liked how we rebounded from Tuesday’s three-set loss to Olentangy Berlin,” said Bentz. “We hit our spots with our kills.”