Fulton County Ohio Media

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In thrilling, nail biting, heart pounding and edge of your seat fashion, the Swanton Lady Bulldogs defeated the Patrick Henry Lady Patriots 2-1 to bring home the NWOAL 8^th-Grade Volleyball Championship.  The match was played in front of a packed house at the Wauseon Middle School with a deafening and spirit-filled crowd, colored purple and white on one side and red, white and blue on the other. 

Patrick Henry entered the match as a slight favorite, having defeated Swanton earlier this season and twice the year before, including for the 2022 NWOAL Title.  The Lady Bulldogs, however, were very confident, sporting a 21-1 overall record with that one loss on the road.  That confidence was evident as Swanton pulled away late in the first game for a 25-19 victory.  In game two, the Lady Pats roared out to a 17-7 lead, let the Bulldogs get close, then closed out the 25-17 win to even the best-of-three match at one apiece.

The winner-take-all game three was everything you would want in a championship match, close and hard fought all the way.  After Patrick Henry grabbed a 14-12 lead, Swanton quickly tied the score and neither team held more than a one-point advantage until the Lady Dogs went on top 24-22.  The Patriots scored to close the gap and regain the serve but their next serve went out of bounds, giving Swanton the 25-23 victory and the NWOAL Volleyball Tournament Championship.

“I thought, talent-wise, we were evenly matched, but we play hard and we played smart,” said an elated Madison Albring, Swanton’s head coach and Swanton Middle School (SMS) science teacher.  “This group of girls is tremendously special.  Between school and travel, this is the 9th team that I’ve coached.  I have found it is almost always the case that a team is either very talented OR very kind humans who get along well, but almost never both.  This team overall is very talented, but they also all get along great off the court.  They have a lot of fun together, and they are exceptional leaders not only on the court but in the classrooms and halls of SMS.  During the regular season, as a middle school coach, I ensure that all of my girls get to play every match.  But during the tournament, we play to win. Tonight, as hard as it is for me to sit anyone, three of my girls very graciously supported their team from the bench to make room for our most talented players to remain on the court for longer.”

“This team also comes with a group of wildly supportive and involved parents.  They all did a lot for the team this season, but one parent that I would like to thank for helping us win is Ben Remer, father of star passer, Beyla Remer.  He filmed every single set this season and made those videos available to anyone on the team who wanted them.  At the request of the girls, we had our one and only Sunday practice the day before the championship.  After we secured our spot in the finals with two decisive victories on Saturday, I went home and re-watched and analyzed our film from the last time we played Patrick Henry.  This made it clear to me that in order to win, we needed to utilize the element of surprise.  I have several big hitters who love to send over rockets, but we needed to mix it up.  We worked on utilizing all of our hitters, as well as sneaking in some well-placed tips.”

“And finally, we had to not let them surprise us. Patrick Henry also has some big hitters who do a great job of mixing it up, so we had to be ready for it. In the middle of the match, we changed our defensive strategy. We were struggling to pick up their tips to the middle of the court, so I told my outside hitters to camp out in the middle of the court to pick them up. Those girls rose to the occasion and took away that hole in our defense.  I have never been more proud of a group of girls, or more sad for a season to end.  But I can’t wait to see what they do at Swanton High School.  Go Dogs.”

Click on the link above to access photos from the match. Photos are in the jpeg format to allow for editing and can be downloaded for NO CHARGE courtesy of the fultoncountymedia.com website.

Photo – Front Row (L to R): Josalyn Kahl, Beyla Remer, Brynn Godwin, Julianna Avery Back Row (L to R): Gabryelle Smith, Marah Stinehelfer, Evelyn Ventimiglia, Stella Menna, Cara Ludlow, Lara Carrizales, Kinley Curtis, Lacey Shinaver Coach: Madison Albring