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Ohio wins fourth consecutive OVAC All-Star volleyball match

MORRISTOWN — All-star get-togethers aren’t so much about winning as they are having fun.

And there was plenty of fun to be had Saturday afternoon inside Union Local High School’s “Hangar” as a strong collection of senior spikers gathered for the 19th-annual OVAC All-Star Volleyball Match.

Behind a pair of conference Player of the Year winners, Ohio swept West Virginia for the fourth straight year, cruising to a 25-22, 25-16, 25-17, 15-3 victory.

“It’s an honor to be a part of this group,” said Shadyside head coach Cindy Archer, who coached the Buckeyes along with Beaver Local’s Sarah Lowe.

“It was a lot of fun. There’s a lot of good talent here.”

The Buckeyes strengthened as the match went along, pulling away to claim the first three sets before controlling the final one.

Still, Morgantown head coach Nick Lusk enjoyed his day.

“Just the little time I spent with this group was special for me,” the West Virginia head coach said. “I could tell what a special group of girls they were.”

Lusk, Archer and Lowe all were awarded Coach of the Year honors in their respective states for the jobs they did this season.

Lusk guided the Mohigans to the OVAC Class 5A crown, and having the opportunity to guide the West Virginia unit in the all-star match was the icing on his season.

“We always talk about about being together at Morgantown, and as long as we’re together we can do anything,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons I’m here.”

Archer led the Tigers to the OVAC Class 2A final in her first season on the Tigers’ bench.

“After the season we had this was a nice ending,” she said. “To be with a lot of the girls we played against, and to see the caliber of players they are up close, was eye-opening.”

One of those players — Southern’s Riley Felton — helped Ohio’s cause early. Felton, who led the Indians to the 2A crown against Shadyside and was named 2A Player of the Year, gave Ohio its first lead in the opening set.

Later, with Ohio trailing by a point, Barnesville’s Mindi Wehr, tied things at 6-all. From there, the set see-sawed until the Buckeyes snapped a 16-all deadlock with a 6-1 run that helped them prevail.

Ohio jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the second set, but West Virginia tied it at 12-all behind consecutive points by John Marshall’s Emily Harr and the Brooke tandem of Chloe Fox and Hope Bowman.

The Mountaineers went ahead 14-12 before Ohio went on a 10-0 run to take the lead for good.

West Virginia led most of the way in the third, but Ohio stayed close before finally knotting it at 17-all. From there, it scored the final eight points to win.

“It was a struggle,” Lusk said. “But I enjoyed it and I was glad I could be here.

“This was a good group of girls. They all earned it and deserved to be here.”

Diamond Decker, one of two players from Warren Local in the game, was named 5A Player of the Year.

Other awards went to: Logan Haught, Frontier, 1A; Kyndra Pilant, Magnolia, 3A; and Skye Stokes, East Liverpool, 4A.

“This was a good experience,” Archer said. “It was fun to get to know the girls personally and a little bit more.

“It’s been a great year. I couldn’t ask for much more.”

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