Recently crowned Wayne County champion Centerville could not win the Tri-Eastern Conference volleyball title when they hosted Hagerstown on Oct. 10, in their last conference match of the regular season, but they were in a position to help determine who the eventual champion was. A Hagerstown win would clinch the TEC title outright. A Centerville win meant the Tigers would have to share the title with Winchester Community.
It was senior night at Centerville. Chloe Goodman, Makenna Hartman and Maddy Kean were honored before the match by an appreciative crowd. Emotion was high and the Lady Bulldogs’ play in the first set reflected that. It was complete Bulldog domination. Centerville raced to a 12-4 lead and expanded it to 23-10 before coasting to a 25-15 win. The second set was tied at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 before the Bulldogs steadily pulled away to a 25-19 win to take a two-sets-to-none lead.
One set from a loss, the Tigers flipped the script, dominating set three. The Tigers led wire-to-wire en route to a 25-11 win. The margin of victory was the largest of the night by either team.
The fourth set was another must-win for the Tigers. The set was tied eight times, the last time at 17-17, before the Tigers pulled away to win 25-19 and force a fifth and decisive set to 15.
Both teams had early leads in the fifth set but couldn’t hold them. The Bulldogs broke from an 8-8 tie to build an 11-8 lead and seemed to be in control before the Tigers started to reel them in. Hagerstown came back to tie the set at 13-13 and then scored back-to-back to win the set 15-13 and the match 3-2.
Centerville head coach Jimmy Basler was hoping his seniors would get a win on their special night. “Sometimes the momentum changes in volleyball make no sense,” Basler said. “We were playing well and then they started playing better than us. They got to balls we were not getting to and balls started finding the floor on our side and not on theirs. Those swings back and forth is what makes volleyball my passion. I feel bad for my seniors because they wanted to go out with a win at home. Our sectional will be one of the best in the state and it is up in the air. There will be high energy and emotional play in every match. I don’t think there is a superior team. The team that consistently brings their best effort will win it.”
Hagerstown head coach Brian Dale could not explain the outcome. “I don’t even know what to say about this match,” Dale said. “I have been coaching this sport for literally half my life and I can’t explain how this team can be so inconsistent. They frequently come out flat and lack energy. Then it is like they flip a switch and go to a different level. We have a few days to rest and get healthy before the sectional. Our sectional will be very competitive. We will have to be more consistent and focused in every set and every match to have a chance. With our sectional draw there is no room for error.”
Hagerstown (19-8, 8-0 TEC) 15 19 25 25 15
Centerville (14-16, 4-4 TEC) 25 25 11 19 13
Hagerstown stat leaders — Assists: Ella Logston 18, Emma Snodgrass 17, Blocks: Snodgrass 7, Olivia Klein 4, Avery Slaven 3, Digs: Snodgrass 23, Rylan Young 23, Hallie Pruitt 18, Raleigh Doerstler 17, Nora King 12, Logston 12. Kills: Doerstler 16, Elly Cheeseman 12. Centerville stat leaders: unavailable.
JV results: Hagerstown won 2-0.
A version of this article appeared in the October 16 2024 print edition of the Western Wayne News.