Bowling Green sophomore opposite hitter Juliana Firsdon (11) and Defiance sophomore hitter Kamryn Frederick (10) and junior hitter Isabella Rowlison (6) reach above to see who can get the kill or block first. (Lee Welch | Sentinel-Tribune)
KALIDA — Every point earned in Bowling Green’s Division III district semifinal volleyball match was by an act of attrition — which team could outlast the other.
Pitting two of Northwest Ohio’s best liberos, BG senior Hanna Heinze and Defiance senior Ella Westrick, against each other, it was matter of which defense could outlast the other’s.
Kills were hard to come by because both liberos are so good at digging out even the hardest hit shots.
BG, the No. 2 seed in the district, did sweep the Bulldogs, 25-19, 25-17, 25-19, but only because the Bobcats stayed true to their gameplan.
“The game plan was to keep the ball away from their libero,” BG coach Deb Mathias said. “We were trying to hit shots, we were trying to hit their setter, we were trying to hit that (corner spots) — we were trying to keep the ball anywhere from where their libero was at. We knew she was good going in.”
Heinze added, “Their libero picked up a lot of things — she was great. Our game plan was actually to stay away from her.
“We were trying to swing deep one, we were trying to get them out of system, and it really worked when we followed our game plan,” Heinze continued.
Plus Heinze, a record-setting libero at BG, is pretty good at what she does, too. She finished with 28 digs and four assists.
“I honestly read the court really well, our block did really well so that was helping me to be able to set up where I needed to set up, and it was helping me read the court better because they were doing such a good job,” Heinze said.
Plus, Heinze had four aces, and her younger sister, junior defensive specialist Kendall Heinze, picked off some shots before they hit the floor and contributed with her serving, too.
“Hanna is our captain, she is our leader, she is competitive — she controls everything on defense,” Mathias said.“Her sister, Kendall Heinze, does a nice job back there, too. She had some amazing plays in the back row.
“Our defense, overall, really worked together as a team. We back each other up. Our setters did a phenomenal job. Our out-of-system plays were awesome. We just played well tonight.”
BG senior outside hitter Madison Cowan, a six-rotation player who rarely leaves the court, had nine kills, three aces, and 20 digs.
Whenever the Bobcats appeared to be in trouble, Cowan or one of the Heinze sisters somehow found a way to score an ace to bring BG right back into the fold.
“Aces are kind of like free points — they are easy points you can get,” Hanna Heinze said. “It helps you get ahead when we down a few points, and those aces got us back in the game.”
BG senior middle blocker Tara Hastings had 11 kills, two solo blocks, and three digs, senior opposite hitter Marley Camera had seven kills, two block assists and a dig, junior middle blocker Julia Strum had three kills and three block assists, and senior setter Sophie Shepherd had one ace, 10 digs, and 15 assists.
The Bobcats led most of the first set, getting their final four points off two kills by Cowan, a Cowan ace, and a kill by Camera, but had to offset two late kills by Defiance senior outside hitter Karleigh Hoffman that kept the Bulldogs within striking distance.
The second set saw the Bulldogs taking a 12-9 lead on a kill by junior outside hitter Isabella Rowlison, but Cowan served six straight points, including two aces, to put BG up 19-13 and the Bobcats never trailed again.
The third set was tied at 16 points apiece, but the Bobcats closed on a 9-3 run that included three kills by Hastings, including match point.
BG (17-7) now returns to the district championship game for the first time since 2014 to face Lima Shawnee (18-6) at 6 p.m. Thursday at Kalida.
