Mount Vernon News

CENTERBURG — In its second Mid-Buckeye Conference match of the season, the Centerburg High School girls volleyball team dominated the Johnstown Johnnies on its home court. The Trojans swept their guests in three games by scores of 25-9, 25-15 and 25-11.

After Centerburg (2-1, 1-1 Mid-Buckeye Conference) lost its first conference match against Fredericktown on Tuesday, head coach Kathy Stevens said it was an important step forward for her team to pick up the win in its first home league contest.

The first conference win is also the first step toward another Trojan MBC title.

“It’s always in the back of our minds,” Stevens said. “We’re excited to get a win. I thought the kids played relaxed tonight and came with a positive attitude. Sometimes, it’s tough to come off a loss like that.”

A key element for Centerburg all evening was building an early lead in the individual games. The Trojans never trailed for the duration of the match and took a 4-1 lead to start off all three games. Consequently, the Johnnies rarely threatened as Centerburg approached the 25-point mark.

“I think it just helps you relax more if you have that lead,” Stevens said when asked about her team taking the early advantage. “You take a few more risks out on the floor, and I thought we were getting good contributions from everyone out there.

The Trojans did indeed see significant points come from hitters besides the usual top performers such as Camaranne Myles and Jacqueline Hart. In particular, Jessica McCann played a big role in the first game, helping her team build a 19-6 lead midway through and slamming the final point to give Centerburg the first win.

“It wasn’t just one player tonight. We were able to use all our hitters,” Stevens said. “(Jessica’s) very capable of playing well, and she was on tonight. We’re hoping that’ll carry over to future games.”

In the second game of the match, Johnstown struggled to land its attacks inside the court, once again allowing Centerburg to run away with the victory. An under-the-net violation against the Johnnies at the end of the game sealed the second win for the Trojans.

Johnstown provided some stiffer competition in the last game of the match, but the Trojan attack continued to weigh down the Johnnie defense. With Centerburg holding a 11-9 lead, Stevens took a time-out to calm her team. Brandi Hartfield then stepped out and smashed an ace to send the Trojans on a 14-2 run for the rest of the game to take the match.

Myles posted 10 points, six kills, 17 assists and seven digs in the victory; and Carly Szilagyi tallied 23 points and 12 digs. Casey Smith and Melody Maxwell each scored 13 points, and Hart and McCann drilled eight kills apiece. Hartfield had six digs.

Centerburg’s junior varsity also won, 25-12, 25-10. Kayla Moreland scored 22 points, and Zoe Hartman and Kelsey Canter added 10 and nine points, respectively. The Trojan freshmen played Bishop Watterson, and won 25-16, 25-21. Jessica Pitzer led Centerburg with 10 points.