Jonathan Alder’s Lizzie Lombardi (20) sets the ball for Emma Shepherd’s (background) ensuing kill during Saturday’s match against Highland. Also pictured to the right is Alder’s Gracie Nees. The Lady Pioneers will play Dover during the Division II regional semifinals Thursday, 7:30 p.m., at Pickerington North High School. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
A pair of high school volleyball teams with a history of tournament success will square off against each other on Thursday.
The Lady Pioneers of Jonathan Alder will put their 20-0 record on the line during the Division II regional semifinals.
JA will face Dover (16-5) with the first serve scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Pickerington North High School.
The Lady Pioneers won their third consecutive district title last Saturday by sweeping Highland.
Alder head coach Joe Ross said his squad has a great deal of respect for the Crimson Tornadoes of Dover.
“They have a nice tradition of success,” he said. “They lost during last year’s regional finals to Highland, so this level of the tournament is not new territory for them.”
Ross said setter Grace Rivera is the “heart” of Dover’s team.
She’s tallied 695 assists for Dover’s front line hitters.
The Tornadoes’ top hitter is Taylor Luneborg, who has notched 266 kills.
Cara Deweiler has added 178 and Morgan Kiser stands at 166.
“I was able to watch a little bit of tape on them this afternoon,” said Ross during Monday’s interview with the Journal-Tribune. “They have solid players and their offense and defense are very much like Highland’s,” he said. “Their middle hitters move very well.”
Luneborg is of particular concern to the Lady Pioneer boss.
“She is an outside hitter and will receive a lot of sets from Rivera,” said Ross. “We will have to concentrate our defense against her.”
The Lady Pioneers, who were the Central District’s top seed, did not have a great deal of trouble sweeping No. 2 Highland last Saturday.
Ross credited the team play of his squad for the outcome.
“Everyone did their job,” he said. “When we do that, we’re exciting to watch.
“We will need the same type of effort against Dover.”
Although his squad has played with a great deal of intensity this fall, Ross said he has also seen a relaxed nature.
“The biggest improvement I’ve seen from the girls is that they feel free,” he said.
By that, he meant much of the outside distractions the team faced during the early portion of the season have disappeared.
“During the preseason and at the start of the season, we weren’t sure how much volleyball we’d be able to play,” said Ross. “There was always the COVID-19 concern in the back of our minds.
“We seem to have gotten away from that outside stuff.”
While several Dover players have compiled impressive stats for the season, they are matched by those of the Lady Pioneers.
Senior Ava Francis, who verbally committed to the University of Arizona a couple years ago, leads Alder with 333 kills.
“That’s pretty impressive when you consider we haven’t had to play a lot of extra sets this year,” said Ross.
Senior Emma Shepherd tops the squad with 61 ace serves as the Lady Pioneers have served 90% for the season.
For the past few weeks, Ross has touted Alder’s serving and passing.
“Those are two factors that become more important as you progress down the stretch in the tournament,” he said. “For the past couple of weeks, our serving and passing have been awesome.
“Both will be keys to a victory on Thursday.”
The winner of the Alder-Dover contest will return to Pickerington North on Saturday for the regional championship match against either Thornville Sheridan (26-1) or Byesville Meadowbrook (22-2).
The regional title match will begin at 2 p.m.
The regional champion will advance to next week’s state tournament that will be held at Vandalia-Butler High School.
Jonathan Alder’s Jaden Phelps, right, attempts to play the ball off the net during Saturday’s match against Highland. Also pictured for JA is Ava Francis (24). The Lady Pioneers will face Dover on Thursday during the Division II regional semifinals. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)