Photos by Steven Wright | Greene County News
Bellbrook’s bench erupts after coming back to win the third set during Wednesday’s 3-1 victory against Carroll in the Division III district semifinals at Xenia High School.
XENIA — Bellbrook will get another shot to claim an elusive district championship.
The Golden Eagles overcame deficits in the third and fourth sets to take down Carroll 18-25, 25-13, 25-23 and 25-17 in the Division III district semifinals on Wednesday at Xenia High School.
“We talk about it all the time, that 2007 is the last time we won districts,” head coach Lynzee Allen said. “And when we saw how this tournament is spread out, it just feels like we have a chance.”
Bellbrook, the No. 2 seed in the region, let a fast start get away from them in the opening set as No. 4-seed Carroll began to expertly serve and find holes in Bellbrook blocking attempts to take the opening set. Set two went the way Bellbrook hoped the first would finish, but it was after the match was tied at one each where the Golden Eagles gained the momentum it needed to prevail.
Carroll won nine of the first 11 points in the third set and eventually built a 12-point lead as Bellbrook had increased communication issues as it seemingly continued losing points.
After Allen called for a second timeout, her side slowly began taking two or three points at a time to claw back until knotting the set at 22. After trading the next two points, a pair of kills seized the set for Bellbrook to go up 2-1.
“Truthfully we had a scout and we decided to trash it about halfway through,” Allen said. “We just went back to our basics because I think I tried to make too many adjustments and it was not being successful but that’s okay. Going back to the basics made them comfortable and it got them confident.”
Carroll got off to another early lead in set four before Bellbrook tied the score at 13 and outscored the Patriots 12-4 down the stretch to finish the match.
Bellbrook advances to play Turpin, the four-seed from the South Region, at 11 a.m. Saturday at Fairfield High School.
“We checked out Turpin and they look like a great team,” Allen said. ” I think our girls with the way they’ve talked about it all year they want a championship and that they want to add this year to that banner hanging up and they’re not going to take this game lightly.”
D-I — No. 2 Beavercreek 3, No. 3 Wayne 0
The Beavers won the rubber match against the Warriors 25-18, 25-20, 25-20. The two sides split their regular season meetings with both teams winning in five sets, and also had tied for second in the final GWOC standings.
Beavercreek will play Mason, the No. 2 seed from the South Region, in the district finals on Saturday at either Lakota East or Vandaila Butler High School with an undetermined start time.
D-V — No. 1 Brookville 3, No. 6 Greeneview 0
The top seed playing in its home gym finished off the Rams 25-16, 25-10, 25-11.
Greeneview’s season ends with a 12-12 overall record.
Contact Steven Wright at 937-502-4498 and follow on X (formerly Twitter) @Steven_Wright_.
