Jackson Center players celebrate after defeating Plain City Shekinah Christian in a Division VII regional semifinal on Thursday at Fairborn High School’s Skyhawk Arena. Jackson Center advances to face Fort Loramie in a regional final on Saturday.
Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News
FAIRBORN — The Jackson Center Tigers defeated the Plain City Shekinah Christian Flames 3-0 in straight sets on Thursday in a Division VII regional semifinal at Skyhawk Arena.
Jackson Center advances to face Shelby County Athletic League foe Fort Loramie in a regional final on Saturday in Fairborn.
“Sometimes volleyball matches are fleeting moments,” Jackson Center head coach Kim Metz said. “Momentum can be with you for a second and then be away from you for two minutes. It’s a matter of controlling the momentum and working through ball control.”
Metz’s Tigers (19-7) advanced to the regional tournament after capturing a district title last Saturday over Lehman Catholic.
After jumping out to a 6-0 lead early, Jackson Center went on to take the first set 25-12.
In the second set, the Tigers had fallen behind 8-10 when they took their first timeout. They tied the game up after the timeout but the Flames recovered and re-took the lead 13-11.
“There were a couple of blocked balls that, off of us, hit the backcourt,” Metz said. “We were a little hesitant to transition back to cover those. We knew that they liked to throw the ball and we knew that they’ve got some bigger hitters in the middle.
“We were trying to take care of what they were doing, maybe a little bit more than what we were doing.”
When the second timeout of the set was taken, Jackson Center had clawed back to lead 15-13 after a 4-0 run.
The Tigers held on and won the second set 25-20.
The third set was tightly contested, with neither team taking more than a 2-point lead until Jackson Center took a 12-9 advantage that it extended to 13-9 before Shekinah took its first timeout of the third.
The Tigers had extended their lead to 18-11 at the second timeout in the third set. Jackson Center took its first timeout in the third as it held a 22-17 lead after a 6-4 run for the Flames.
The Tigers kept the lead and were able to win the final set 25-21.
“Balance has to be there,” Metz said. “Fight your fight and pick up with they’re doing. It’s kind of a yin and yang. We’re protecting our 900 square feet but exploring theirs. You want to make sure you can control your controllables and try to revisit the game plan that you have in place.”
The Tigers will face Fort Loramie for a third time this season. Loramie won both SCAL matchups in regular season 3-0, including a 25-15, 25-21, 25-14 win on Oct. 3.
Reach assistant editor/sports writer Ryan Harless at 937-538-4651 or follow @RyanHarless_ on X (formerly Twitter).
