CENTERBURG — The Centerburg and Fredericktown High School volleyball teams joined up to help raise funds for breast cancer research, holding Volley for the Cure Night on Tuesday. The Mid-Buckeye Conference rivals raised over $3,000 while sporting tough competition on the court.

On the court, the host Trojans swept the Freddies, winning 25-9, 25-12, 25-15. The games were closer than the final scores would dictate. In each game, Fredericktown hung with Centerburg for a while, but the Trojans eventually pulled away due in large part to their serving.

“Anytime you can get ahead and gain the momentum for a stretch, it’s good,” said Centerburg coach Lisa Boron. “I wanted the girls to make sure they maintained the momentum because that really does determine how the games are going to go.

“Serving was a key to tonight’s match. We had quite a few aces. That gave our girls confidence and, at the same time, (Fredericktown) struggled with serve reception, which put a little doubt in their minds. We were able to take advantage of that.”

In Game 1, Centerburg used four runs of three points or more to surge ahead. Game 2 was highlighted by an 11-0 run. The third game saw the Trojans on a 10-1 spurt.

“They played hard the whole match,” said Centerburg senior Jenna Ross of the Freddies. “Our serving was really good tonight. Everybody was serving hard and I think that helped us. They couldn’t receive the ball, which helped us get ahead and get the win.”

“We started out strong and set the tempo,” said Centerburg senior Alisha Stevens. “That helped us in the long run.”

The one bright point for the Freddies was their tenacity. Even when things were not going their way, they didn’t give up.

“We were struggling with our serve receive on Centerburg’s serves,” said Fredericktown coach Marilyn Rutherford. “We just didn’t play well. We were off and they had control of the whole match. ... We never gave up. (This group) loves the game of volleyball. We’ll be back.”

Stevens led Centerburg (4-0, 3-0 MBC) with 11 kills, three digs and eight points. Laura Mackley had nine kills, four points and six digs; Camaranne Myles posted 32 assists and eight points; and Jenna Ross had 11 digs and 16 points. Amber Salley finished with two kills and 14 points; Shelly Milburn had five kills and six points; Bethany Miles added three blocks; and Brandi Hartfield had three digs.

“It was really important for us to establish ourselves,” said Mackley. “We did a good job of that today. We put up some great blocks and are improving. Hitting-wise, we are doing a lot better. Our passing is improving.

“It is awesome to have substitutions that we know are going to be strong players. It is really important come tournament time to have fresh legs to keep us going.”

Fredericktown’s Mackenzie Logan led the way with five kills and five digs. Allyn Blakely had eight assists, three digs and one point; Emily Ruggles posted three kills, one block and three points; Abbey Vance had one kill and two blocks; and Kaitlyn Newkirk added five kills, two blocks and four points. Sarah Gearheart finished with four kills, three digs and five points; Lauren Stump had six assists; and Courtney Briegel had two kills.

“It is still early in the season and we are still trying to get in a flow of playing beside each other,” said Rutherford. “We are still trying to get different looks going. A lot of the things (we experienced) come from the time of the year we are in. It is still early.”

Besides the on-court action, the players each experienced an important addition — community teamwork. Volley for the Cure, a program approved by the Ohio High School Athletic Association, encourages teams to promote breast cancer education and awareness while raising funds for research.

“It was really an honor to do this,” Stevens said of Volley for the Cure. “We worked so hard. It is more than the volleyball team. It is like a community-wide thing.

“We are friendly rivals and we always have fun playing each other. It was fun to do something like this together.”

“This is awesome that we can give back,” said Ross. “Us, as players, are so fortunate to be able to play. We wanted to be able to give back.”

Both Boron and Rutherford were pleased with how their teams responded to the idea. Both were very open and willing to participate.

“We always try to do a charity event every year and this year we decided to do Volley for the Cure,” said Boron. “I am proud of how the girls took ownership of this. They went out to area businesses and requested donations. The T-shirt sales have been fantastic. ... Anything we can give toward this charity is great. Everyone is touched by cancer so anything we can do to help out is a benefit.”

“When I talked with our girls about doing this event, they were 100 percent behind it,” said Rutherford of her team. “They took it and ran with it. They’ve been selling T-shirts all over the place. Centerburg’s team mom, Mari Ross, and our team mom, Kerri Stump, have been wonderful. The energy they’ve put into it has just been amazing.

“This is a great way for us to work together. It was such a great idea for Fredericktown and Centerburg because our girls know each other off the court pretty well. It just adds a dimension to the rivalry.”

The Centerburg junior varsity won, 25-14, 25-19. The Trojan freshmen also won, 25-12, 25-20.

The Volley for the Cure rematch will be held in Fredericktown on Thursday, Sept. 27.