Correspondent photo/Robert Hayes. West Branch senior Olivia Showalter had a kill in the Warriors’ 3-0 win over Alliance on Tuesday.
YOUNGTOWN — Having already earned two sweeps against Alliance earlier in the season, West Branch knew the third game against the Aviators wouldn’t be easy.
Still, the Warriors (15-9) continued their dominance over Alliance this season, defeating the Aviators 3-0 to begin Division II postseason play Tuesday night at Ursuline High School, 25 points in three sets. We won 15, 25 to 20, 25. -14.
“They’re always competitive. As for Alliance, they’re very well-coached, they never give up, and they’re very rowdy,” West Branch coach Penny DeShields said. “So we must not make mistakes, we made mistakes in areas of the game and we let them come back. Let them play, that’s what we talked about today. Let them play. Let them play, because when you let them play, you’re just giving them an easy ball and you’re not playing to win. We always want to play to win. I am.”
The first set was a back-and-forth affair, but things got a little tense for the Warriors, who fell behind by three points midway through the second set.
Remaining calm was key.
Mikalyn Fitts is one of three seniors and was instrumental in bringing her teammates together.
“We played them pretty early in the season and they definitely improved a lot throughout the season, so that’s the biggest thing,” Fitz said. “We’re both fourth-year starters, so having such an experienced group at Olivia Showalter definitely helps. We definitely played a big role.”
Tied at 20-all, the Warriors started with a score from Fitz, scored the final five points of the set, and took a 2-0 lead on junior libero Ragan Greeneisen’s set-clinching goal.
Despite this, Alliance (3-20) couldn’t let its season end that quickly, putting together an effort that allowed West Branch to maintain a 2-set-0 lead.
“When we first got here, we knew we were going to have a long bus ride (and) play a team 15 minutes away, so we already have to stay focused, especially with no JV games ahead of us. I knew that. I knew I had to come in ready to play,” Showalter said. “The first set, the second set, we just built up the set each time.
“We came together. We knew we were the better team. We knew we had it in us, it was I just wanted to let everyone know that I have your back and you have my back.
DeShields, along with senior Bryn Smith, praised how much the seniors held themselves accountable when they needed it most.
“I praised both Livi and Mick. When it came to crunch time and we had to hit them the ball, they hit the ball. They weren’t afraid and their aggressiveness was something I admired. That’s what we want to see. We can’t be afraid because if you’re afraid of losing, you’re going to make mistakes,” DeShields said.
The Warriors will play the winner of Ursuline and Canfield on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
