"I feel like we should win but, at tournament time, we really respect everyone that's here," Alter coach Tina Jasinowski said. "We needed to be the better team today — not just the better team."
Despite the convincing win, Jasinowski knows there is still work to do.
“I can see some chinks in the armor,” she said. “Urbana didn’t put a lot of pressure on us and we’ve got to prepare for when a team does.”
The Knights may well be experiencing a case of déjà vu, as they will play Wyoming for the third consecutive time in the regional semifinal. Alter has come out on top the past two years.
“We’re looking forward to it,” Wyoming coach Julie Plitt said.
Wyoming battled to a five-set win over Kenton Ridge (21-25, 25-15, 23-25, 25-22, 15-9) Saturday. The tournament-tested Cowboys earned their fourth consecutive district championship title.
The Cougars, meanwhile, were making their first district appearance in 20 years. Kenton Ridge had its chances, up 2-1 and leading 18-14 in the fourth set, but couldn’t close it out.
“We needed to take it to them when they were down and we didn’t seize the moment,” Kenton Ridge coach Lori Saunders said.
Cincinnati McNicholas put an end to Bellbrook’s tournament run Saturday as the Rockets advanced to their second straight regional semifinal with a 20-25, 25-12, 25-17, 25-13 win.
“We graduated 10 kids so for us to come out here and have some nerves is not a surprise,” McNicholas coach Denny Murphy said.
While McNicholas settled down after the first set, the Golden Eagles — making their first district appearance since 2007 — struggled. Johnson, in her first year coaching volleyball at Bellbrook, is already looking ahead.
“I was telling the girls after the match, no one expected us to get here and we did,” she said. “We turned some heads.”
Division I: Mount Notre Dame wasted little time dispensing with Centerville (25-13, 25-11, 25-6) in D-I play at Lakota East. Meanwhile, Lakota East toppled rival Lakota West 21-25, 25-23, 25-16, 25-22.
St. Ursula handed Beavercreek a 25-23, 25-15, 25-7 loss in D-I district play at Butler High School
Division III: Miami East rolled to a 25-13, 25-11, 25-7 win over Badin in Division III district play at Tippecanoe High School. The two-time defending state champion Vikings play Versailles in the regional semifinals Wednesday. The Tigers also posted a straight-set district win over Roger Bacon. Fenwick rounded out the D-III district champions with a 3-0 win over Mariemont.
Division IV: Jackson Center posted a 3-1 win over Russia in the D-IV district tournament at Troy. The Tigers play defending state champion Marion Local in the regional semifinal Thursday at Tippecanoe. The Flyers won their district title Thursday with a 25-21, 22-25, 25-17, 25-9 defeat of New Knoxville.
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