Ooltewah Defeats Walker Valley, 3-1, For Region 3-3A Title

Biro, Matthews Power Lady Owls To Host Role In Sectional

  • Tuesday, October 13, 2015
  • Larry Fleming
Alex Biro, one of six Ooltewah seniors, goes up high for a kill against Walker Valley's Madison Russo in the Region 3-3A volleyball tournament championship game on Tuesday. Biro helped lead the Lady Owls to a 3-1 win and they will host a sectional match on Thursday. With a win, Ooltewah would advance to the state tournament.
Alex Biro, one of six Ooltewah seniors, goes up high for a kill against Walker Valley's Madison Russo in the Region 3-3A volleyball tournament championship game on Tuesday. Biro helped lead the Lady Owls to a 3-1 win and they will host a sectional match on Thursday. With a win, Ooltewah would advance to the state tournament.
photo by Dennis Norwood

Ooltewah wasn’t about to let Tuesday’s volleyball match against Walker Valley go to a harrowing five games like the previous two played out.

So, the Lady Owls (44-11) stopped the action after four games to claim a 3-1 victory and nail down their third Region 3-3A championship in four years at Edward M. Foster Gymnasium. Game scores were 25-17, 25-20, 18-25, 25-15.

“We didn’t want tonight’s match to get TO the fourth game,” said Ooltewah senior Hanna Matthews, who registered 42 assists, 11 digs, two kills, one ace and one block and was named the tournament’s most valuable player.

“We were saying, ‘Only three. Only three.’ That didn’t happen, so it was very important it not go to five games.”

Ooltewah also earned the right to host a Class 3A sectional game on Thursday night at 7 p.m. and will play Region 4-3A runner-up Blackman.  The Lady Blaze lost, 2-0, to Ooltewah in the Middle Tennessee Classic on Oct. 3.

Siegel beat Blackman on Tuesday night, 3-0. The Lady Stars are set to host Walker Valley on Thursday at 7 p.m. local time in Murfreesboro.

Siegel (33-8) ousted Ooltewah from the postseason in 2014.

Ooltewah jumped into a 2-0 lead, but followed a routine pattern that saw the Lady Mustangs (29-13) extended the match by rallying in Game 3.

Nursing a 15-10 lead in the finale, Alexis Godsey’s serve found the net, but Hannah Henderson scored a kill off a Matthews assist.

Lady Owls powerhouse front-row dominator Alex Biro returned to the court after taking a breather and that proved again to be Walker Valley’s worst nightmare.

Biro scored six straight points as the Lady Owls doubled the lead at 22-11.

“When we’re in a stressful situation and it’s crucial, my teammates and coaches rely on me and it’s like, ‘Change-the-game-when-you-go-in-there kind of thing.’ We want to finish this thing now and to do that takes a whole-hearted effort by the team.

“We had 16 points when I went back in and we know if we do our work me might not even have to move a rotation. We know how to score and in our strong rotation we need to execute.”

Following an Ooltewah unforced error, the Lady Mustangs gave two points right back. The Lady Owls’ Courtney Swafford’s serve didn’t clear the net and Walker Valley got an ace from Mikayla Lumpkin blew an ace past the Lady Owls  and got a well-placed tap to move within nine points.

However, Madison Russo’s uncorked a net-serve, giving Ooltewah the winning point and setting off a celebration of another region championship.

“We can’t get past Alex Biro and Hanna Matthews,” said Walker County veteran coach Judy Pruett, who won back-to-back state titles while coaching at Bradley Central in 1993-94 with a combined record of 97-5. “She’s very effective up front. When they get the ball to her she does a very good job putting it away with a kill, and with us that seems like almost every time.”

Biro had 24 kills, three aces, three digs and two blocks. Her up-front partner, Matthews, turned in 42 assists, 11 digs, 2 kills, one ace and one block in yet another strong performance against the Lady Mustangs.

In the District 5-3A tournament championship match versus Walker Valley in Cleveland last week, Matthews exploded for a person-high 55 assists and Biro responded with 27 kills. Earlier this year at Ooltewah, Matthews had 48 kills and Biro 32 kills.

It’s not that Ooltewah coach Elaine Peigen expects the sensational play from Biro, but also presumes other players will fulfill their obligations to make it happen.

“I expect our servers to keep their serve going when Alex is on the front row,” Peigen said. “I expect our defense to keep her on the front row for a longer amount of time. You have to serve and pass the ball to win ballgames. That way you can run your offense.”

The first two games went according to Ooltewah’s script.

The Lady Owls, who have a 16-8 edge in games over Walker Valley this season with six straight match wins – the Lady Mustangs won the opener in August, 2-0, in the Early Bird Tournament at Knox Webb – and 30-10 dating to the 2013 campaign, had a shaky 13-12 lead in Game 1, but ran off seven straight points – three by Biro – with Summer Williams serving to push the lead to 20-12.

Biro had a tap and an ace for the Lady Owls’ 23rd and 24th points. The clincher came on an unforced error on Walker Valley.

In Game 2, Ooltwah again was up 13-12, but Walker Valley scored three in a row, two by Alexan Crittenden.

With the game tied 16-16, Shelby Sutton scored on a slap, a Walker Valley serve went long, Sidney Killingsworth blocked Sara Wilson for a point and Biro’s serve, hit the  tape and fell straight down to give Ooltewah a 20-16 advantage.

Two Ooltewah errors allowed Walker Valley to climb to within 21-20. The Lady Mustangs lost serve with one into the net, Sutton got a service point, Courtney Swafford had a kill and an ace ended the game.

“I think we got a lot more touches on balls Alex hit in that third game,” Pruett said. “When we beat them it’s normally when she’s on the back row or when we got a lot of points.”

There were some terrific volleys in Game 3 and the Lady Mustangs were hanging with the Lady Owls’ power on the front row.

At one point, Walker Valley led 11-8 after a six-point run, the last an ace by Hannah Grace Moore.

The Lady Mustangs went up 18-14, but had one point taken off the scoreboard after a long discussion at the scorer’s table, with the reverting back to 17-14.

When play resumed Ooltewah scored on a Biro tip and Killingsworth slap.

Madison Pruett, the coach’s daughter, ripped a slam and Ooltewah’s Killingsworth’s strong hit soared side-out and the Lady Mustangs’ lead was 19-16. An unforced error gave the Lady Owls a point.

Pruett scored on a slam and service point, pushing the lead to 23-17. Matthews’ well-place tap prolonged the game, but back-to-back errors by Jadyn Raschke (netted serve) and Henderson’s hard shot into the net gave the Lady Mustangs new life.

“The first two games, we were on them,” Matthews said. “We didn’t fight as hard in third, so Peigen said a few words – she threw in a growl – to get us ready for the fourth. She wanted it; we wanted it. That transferred onto the court and we went after it.”

All coach Pruett could do was shake her head at another loss to the Lady Owls.

“We’re 29 and 13,” she said, “and six losses were to Ooltewah. Whoever we play Thursday night maybe we can get past them and get to state. Maybe we’ll even see Ooltewah again in state.”

STATISTICS

Walker Valley

Alexan Crittenden – 13 assists, 8 kills, 16 digs

Ashlyn Flock – 20 assists, 6 kills, 2 blocks, 20 digs

Mikayla Lumpkin – 1 assists, 4 kills, 5 digs, 2 aces

Megan Malone – 2 digs

Julia McGuire – 1 dig

Hannah Grace Moore – 14 digs

Madison Pruett – 1 assists, 9 kills, 14 digs, 3 aces

Madison Russo – 2 kills, 1 block1 dig

Kaley Walker – 1 kill

Sara Wilson – 8 kills, 18 digs

Ooltewah

Alex Biro – 24 kills, 3 aces, 3 digs, 2 blocks

Hanna Matthews – 2 kills, 42 assists, 1 ace, 11 digs, 1 block

Alexis Godsey – 1 assist, 3 aces, 17 digs

Hannah Henderson – 8 kills, 1 block

Sidney Killingsworth – 5 kills, 4 blocks, 1 dig

Summer Williams – 1 assist, 4 aces, 27 digs

Shelby Sutton – 6 kills, 14 digs

All-Region 3-3A Tournament Team

Ooltewah – Hanna Matthews (MVP), Summer Williams, Alex Biro, Alexis Godsey, Courtney Swafford

Walker Valley – Ashlyn Flock, Sara Wilson, Madison Pruett

Cookeville – Sydney Bean, Meg Talkington

(E-mail Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @larryfleming44)

 

Hanna Matthews serves against Walker Valley on Tuesday night in the Region 3-3A volleyball tournament title game at Ooltewah. Matthews' strong two-night play was rewarded with the most valuable player plaque.
Hanna Matthews serves against Walker Valley on Tuesday night in the Region 3-3A volleyball tournament title game at Ooltewah. Matthews' strong two-night play was rewarded with the most valuable player plaque.
photo by Dennis Norwood
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