Jackson Center players hold up a district championship trophy after defeating Lehman Catholic on Saturday at Fairborn High School.
Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News
FAIRBORN — The Jackson Center Tigers volleyball team took down the Lehman Catholic Cavaliers 3-1 in a Divison VII district final matchup at Skyhawk Arena in Fairborn High School.
The Jackson Center Tigers (18-7) advance to a regional semifinal on Thursday at Fairborn High School.
Lehman (12-11) took the first set in a terrific battle 29-27, but the Tigers won set two 25-15 and set three 25-20 before finishing the match with a 25-20 win in set four.
“I think that first set was on all of our errors,” Jackson Center head coach Kim Metz said. “This is the first time that a few of these kids have ever played in this type of atmosphere with that pressure. I just fall back on learning and growing with your team and challenging each other.”
2024 is the first season that the OHSAA expanded to seven divisions, making room for five Shelby County Athletic League teams to compete for district titles.
“When you talk about division one schools, there is such a broad span of enrollment,” Metz said. “I think the expansion helps to balance the numbers and allow these teams to play similar schools. It gives a lot more opportunities.”
The Cavaliers were able to get a set lead over the Tigers to open the game with their aggressive game plan.
“We’ve been trying all week at practice to serve aggressively,” Lehman head coach Carolyn Dammeyer said. “We did that in the first set. It kind of took them out of their offense a little bit. Then it changed and we weren’t as aggressive in the following sets. It felt like we were constantly digging ourselves out of a hole.”
The Cavaliers have five seniors on the squad this year who all contributed to the team’s success. Dammeyer highlighted captain, Kailee Rank as one of those key members.
Rank led Lehman in kills and digs this season while her sister Madison led the team in serving aces and assists.
“It’s amazing,” K. Rank said about getting to share the court with her sister. “This team is like family to me and I’m so proud of them. They’re all so supportive and have played a huge role in my success.”
When asked what is next for her, Kailee said, “I’m trying to play for somewhere in college.”
“They all bring such different elements to each ball,” Metz said of her team. “We do something in practice all the time where they have an opportunity to lead. We’re just trying to push them to make sure they’re the ones who are also leading on the court and talking to each other.
“I mean, we have a sophomore libero. She was sitting in the stands mainly all of last year on JC and she has a prime role to help control our defense. That’s asking an awful lot of a 14-year-old kid.”
Reach assistant editor/sports writer Ryan Harless at 937-538-4651 or follow @RyanHarless_ on X (formerly Twitter).
