Seniors (L to R) Taylor Wagner, Ava Shardo and Sarah Stammen raise the District trophy.
Photos by Drew Terhall | The Daily Advocate
Sophomore Kiley May had some crucial kills for Versailles in the match.
By Drew Terhall
Dailyadvocate.com
MONROE — The divisions may change, but the results have stayed the same. In one of their toughest District Finals game during their run, the third seed Versailles volleyball team won 3-1 over two seed Summit Country Day for a Division V Southwest District title at Monroe High School on Oct. 26. It’s the program’s 13th straight district title.
Back in 2022, Versailles defeated SCD in the regional final to make it to states. Last season, Versailles lost to SCD in the regional semifinals. McNeilan said they knew it was going to be a tough match, but she credits her girls and the teams before her for continuing this streak.
“Kudos to the girls and the program and all the coaches before me and the coaches we have now. It was a team effort today,” McNeilan said.
It was a back and forth first set. Versailles held a small lead early before the Silver Knights came back to take the lead late. Every point was critical for each team.
Down one point, junior Katey Litten tried bury a ball in the back corner near the official. It was a close call, but the official ruled it out and the Silver Knights gained a two-point lead versus it being a tied set.
The Lady Tigers still hung around and competed each point. The set went into extra points where Versailles hung around long enough to go on a short run to win the first set, 28-26.
McNeilan said she knew they would be facing a fundamentally sound opponent. She had her team mentally prepared for an up and down battle that would test each team’s mentality.
“It’s going to be one of those games where I knew it was going to be point for point. Anytime you could gap out and get a few points in a row, it was going to be huge for that team,” McNeilan said.
The second set went a bit more smoothly for the Lady Tigers. After being down 14-15, Versailles grabbed a 17-15 lead and held off SCD for a 25-20 set win.
McNeilan said even with some missed serves, the team executed their gameplan from the first set. They were in system throughout the match and were getting off passes to let their hitters go to work.
The third set went into extra points again. Versailles grabbed the lead in the middle of the set after SCD had the lead early.
Both teams were making every hustle play to come away with the set win. The Lady Tigers were fighting for another district title while the Silver Knights were fighting to keep their season alive.
Sophomore Kiley May delivered late in the set when her number was called. She had a few kills late to keep pace with the Silver Knights.
After the continuous back and forth, SCD came away with a 32-30 set win to extend the match.
The drama continued in the fourth set. After Versailles held a 15-10 lead early, SCD started to slowly get back into the set. Sensing a momentum shift, McNeilan called a timeout while up 16-13.
But that didn’t stop the Silver Knights. They tied the game at 20-20 right before the final stretch of the set.
Hitters on both sides of the net were swining away with each defender diving for balls to keep up with their opponent. With their powerful hitting, Versailles powered enough attacks by SCD to grab a 25-23 set win to clinch their 13th straight district title.
McNeilan said she is proud of this team for getting this program back to regionals once again. They showed they are still one of the top programs in the state.
“At this point in the tournament, kudos to the girls for making it to regionals. To be one of the top teams in the state right now, it is a great reflection of the team. I’m proud of the girls for that,” McNeilan said.
Versailles will play their regional game on Oct. 31 at Kettering Fairmont High School at 8 p.m. They will either play Brookville or Fairfield Cincinnati Christian.
Contact Daily Advocate sports editor Drew Terhall at [email protected].
