West Union’s Korynne Blanton (9) goes high to try and block a kill attempt by North Adams’ Lizzie Gill in action from last week’s SHAC volleyball match at WUHS. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)

West Union’s Korynne Blanton (9) goes high to try and block a kill attempt by North Adams’ Lizzie Gill in action from last week’s SHAC volleyball match at WUHS. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)

<p>Over a plethora of North Adams outstretched arms, West Union’s Lexie Rowe, left, attempts to find an open spot to get a return back over the net in action from the Lady Devils’ win at WUHS on Oct. 7. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)</p>

Over a plethora of North Adams outstretched arms, West Union’s Lexie Rowe, left, attempts to find an open spot to get a return back over the net in action from the Lady Devils’ win at WUHS on Oct. 7. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)

By Mark Carpenter

People’s Defender

The beat goes on for Coach Katie Ragan and her North Adams Lady Devils varsity volleyball squad after a straight set road win over the West Union Lady Dragons on Thursday, Oct. 7. After winning the Southern Hills Athletic Conference title in undefeated fashion and claiming the Gold Ball trophy for the past two seasons, the Lady Devils now stand just one conference win away from making it a three-peat after their win at West Union.

“We lost seven seniors from last year, a number of whom never left the court,” Coach Ragan said in her postgame radio interview. “We came back this year and a lot of team thought this was the year to get us and right now we’re 17-3. I’m very proud of these girls. They showed up over the summer and we’ve tried different things and combinations and they’ve come together and I’d say that tonight was probably the most fun they had had at a volleyball game.”

“Momentum, energy, and enthusiasm are such big parts of volleyball games and for us, this was our fifth game in six days.We haven’t had time to practice so it was great to see them out there having fun as a team.”

“West Union ever quit, they just kept bringing it,” Ragan continued. “They made some real nice plays on the ball tonight, they keep getting better, much to their credit. You want to see the ball in play and the kids hustling to get those points.”

Though the Lady Dragons have had a respectable 2021 campaign, they were underdogs coming into last Thursday night’s match but as they often do, still put up a fight and battled from start to finish. In the night’s opening set, the Lady Devils used two early four-point runs to take a 16-6 advantage, but a run of five by the Lady Dragons, four of those on service points from Madison Taylor, sliced the deficit in half.

With North Adams later up 18-13, the Lady Devils used kills from Brea Stout and Riley Richey, combined with four service points from Keetyn Hupp to lead 23-13 and in a set that ended with four consecutive service errors, North Adams took the win 25-15.

In set two, the Lady Devils jumped in front again, again with Hupp serving, to the tune of an 11-3 lead. Again, the Lady Dragons chipped away at the margin behind serves of Sophie Johnson and a nice kill from Kayden Francis. Trailing 23-15, West Union’s Korynne Blanton reeled off four service points in succession, but a rare kill from North Adams’ Sierra Kendall closed the set and sealed a 25-19 win for the visitors.

Getting a nice one-handed tip from Audrey Weakley, the Lady Dragons kept the third set close with another perfectly placed tip from Taylor cutting a North Adams lead to 9-5, but a side out and three quick service points from senior libero Jadyn Wright pushed the Lady Devils ahead 13-5.

After a single West Union point, the side out went back to North Adams and with Stout serving and Lizzie Gill and Katelynn Boerger patrolling the net, the Lady Devils extended their cushion to 18-6. After back-to-back Hupp kills, the visitors led 21-7, but again the Lady Dragons arose and showed signs of life. With Taylor serving and Weakley adding a kill and a block, West Union scored five straight, but the experienced Lady Devils held fast, surviving a late kill by West Union’s Lexie Rowe and again getting the clinching point on a West Union service error, taking the third set 25-16 and the match 3-0.

For the winners, Kendall had 34 assists, 3 kills, and 18 digs. Hupp contributed 21 kills and 5 service aces, while Brea Stout chipped in with 7 kills, 15 digs, and 3 aces.

The Lady Dragons will be back in action on Wednesday, Oct. 13 when they travel to Peebles for an 8th grade/varsity doubleheader and will be back at home the next night, hosting Eastern Brown.

North Adams was in non-conference action on Monday night, hosting Hillsboro and will go for the gold ball on Thursday, Oct. 14 with a tough road trip to Fairfield to face the Lady Lions.