BUCYRUS — An upstart program versus a powerhouse took center stage in a Northern 10 Athletic Conference volleyball opener here on Tuesday night as Bucyrus hosted Buckeye Central.
The Lady Red gave Buckeye Central all it wanted before falling in the first set, 25-18. The Buckettes steadied themselves and won the next two sets, 25-10, 25-8.
Buckettes (3-0, 1-0) head coach Missy McDougal said her squad started off a bit slowly.
“We kind of came out a little lackadaisical. We aren’t playing some of our best volleyball, but it’s early in the season,” she said.
“We responded. I was really upset that first set. We’re way better than that. And Bucyrus was really scrappy tonight. They put up a good fight that first set.”
Buckeye Central advanced to the regional finals a year ago and went 19-8 overall. The Lady Red finished 7-16 but won three N10 matches.
Bucyrus (1-3, 0-1) head coach Amber Christy liked the toughness that her young team showed.
“I’ve got a young team, and they are giving me effort and drive. They’re gonna play a lot of teams that are better than us this year. Our focus is to stay calm, play our play, play our positions and move forward every game.”
The Lady Red have just two seniors and two juniors on its 12-person roster.
The visitors staked an 11-6 lead, but Bucyrus fought hard in that first set, trailing just 19-15 and forcing McDougal to call a timeout.
Junior libero Olivia Bishop scored a pair of points. Bucyrus’ Haylee Stratton’s block kept it close, before BC’s lone senior Mara McDougal’s kill put Buckeye on a 6-3 advantage to close out the set.
Buckeye Central jumped out 7-1 to open set two. Two Adrienne Jury blocks and points from freshman Megan Siefert were the catalyst. A Mara McDougal kill and a net violation on Bucyrus ended set two.
Coming off a regional run the Buckettes are relying on that experience with several returning starters.
“I thought we saw a huge impact on Saturday’s game. We played some extremely tight sets,” McDougal said. “These girls, a lot of times when you’re young you don’t know how well they’ll respond. But I think that experience of some tight games at the end of the season really helped these younger girls.
“I never really saw them flinch. We lost Maren (McDougal) for a set and a half (Saturday). She kind of hurt herself. But they really stepped up and responded.”
The third set started close and was tied at 5-5. Buckeye Central went on a 20-3 run to wrap it up.
“We need to improve every time we get on the court, and they know that,” Christy said. “I thought the first two they competed. The score might not have, but the grit. The girls played hard and when they broke up the huddle, they were at it.”
Bucyrus lost five players from last season.
“I’ve got two girls with varsity experience. All the others were jayvee or are freshmen,” she added. “I start two freshmen. Last week I looked at my court and I had three freshmen and three sophomores on my court. We’re just building right now and they’re gonna reap the rewards in a year or two.”
Bucyrus was led by a balanced attack that included Brooklyn Ryland, Aubrie Kimmel, Tori Stang, Stratton, Peyton Fackler, and Isabella Stang.
Tori Stang had a pair of blocks and Stratton one. Reese Garvin, a sophomore, had 12 digs, Stratton seven and Ryland six.
For Buckeye Central expectations are to be near the top of the N10. Last year the team finished third behind Mohawk and Carey with a 10-4 league mark.
“The girls have an expectation of winning. We’re young and we’re going to have to fight and there’s going to be some really tough times. But it helps with what we did last year,” McDougal said.
“We need Mara when it’s time she needs to step up and take it. She was a little off tonight, but still able to get it done.
“Megan Siefert is a freshman and doing a great job. (Sophomore) Emma Keller is playing middle for us and every game she’s getting a little better, a little better. These young girls are solid.
“Olivia Bishop came in as libero and she’s been solid. We haven’t seen a lot of fast-paced varsity action. But they’ll continue to improve every game.”
McDougal sees a balanced league unfolding.
“I don’t think there’s just one dominant team. I think there’s a couple really dominant players. It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out. Our goal is to win the N10. But Carey and Mohawk have some really good players,” she said.
“Seneca East had a really good transfer come in at the last minute and she instantly made them a better team. We’ve got Wynford coming up on Thursday. They lost a lot, but they’ve got some good players back.”
Christy is pleased with the mental approach and effort.
“I told the girls in the huddle that as long as I’ve been at Bucyrus, these girls didn’t come unglued right off the bat. It just seems like that’s it. It’s Buckeye,” she said.
“We kind of have a different mindset this year. It’s all about trusting the process and taking it one step at a time and just getting better. We have to believe in each other.”
The Buckettes took the junior varsity match 25-10, 25-7.