Bucyrus wins Spiketacular bronze division title

SANDUSKY (Crawford County Now)— Against all odds.

It came down to the final match against Mapleton. After Bucyrus won the first set 25-17, the Mounties came back to win set two 25-12.

Headed into set three, it was anyone’s match. However, after the teams tied at 14 each, a mistake from Mapleton bumped Bucyrus to 15. One final kill from the Lady Red capped off the set and match, allowing them to win 16-14.

Bucyrus came away with the American Division Bronze championship win at the 2026 Summer Volleyball Spiketacular at Cedar Point Sports Center in Sandusky on July 20-21.

“When we came in this morning, we would have liked to be in a division higher,” Lady Red coach Amber Christy said. “It didn’t happen that way. We didn’t play as well on Monday, and we didn’t earn it. I told them that if we are going to be here, that we need to play ball.”

Bucyrus started day two being 1-2. The last match they won on day one was against Williamsburg 25-19 and 25-12. They were defeated by Philo (25-7, 25-19) and Warren Local (27-25, 25-23).

“The girls stepped up and started talking more,” Christy said. “We learned a lot of lessons.”

The first lesson for the Lady Red: just because someone scores points, it doesn’t mean it’s time to get anxious, but rather to settle down and not to play over their heads.

Whatever the pep talk that was given, it worked as Bucyrus took down Pym Valley (25-10, 25-11), and Indy Fire (25-16, 25-21) before going into the bronze tournament bracket.

The Lady Red faced North Baltimore in the quarterfinals and defeated the Tigers 25-21 and 25-15.

Then, Bucyrus had a rematch with Indy Fire in the semifinals and continued to roll on, winning again 25-12 and 25-8.

“The hitters, I think, had a lot more confidence,” Christy said.

Standouts at the competition include junior Tori Stang and senior Aubrie Kimmel.

Lesson number two for the Lady Red: it’s all about passing.

“They are just starting to learn how to work the ball around, “Christy said. “Our pass serves; it all starts with the pass. If the pass isn’t there, then we can’t do anything. We can’t leave out the ones in the back court because they worked their butts off too.”

The Lady Red return five seniors, including Kimmel, two juniors with Stang, and three freshmen.

“I look for our freshmen to make a big impact this season,” Christy said. “Our seniors need to step up and lead the team. Our two juniors are our big swingers, and they need to understand that they are no longer underclassmen, but rather upperclassmen and they need to step in and step up.”

The reason Bucyrus comes to Spiketacular, other than it being a well-run tournament, is it’s close to home, and there are quality teams year after year.

Facing teams at the tournament helps prepare the Lady Red for an expanded and brutal Northern 10 Athletic Conference that has gone from eight schools to 14 and split into two divisions.

Lesson number three: always do whatever it takes to be prepared.

“The N10 is going to be brutal,” Christy said. “You bring in state ranked teams and then split it into the east and west divisions, some of it is going to be further travel and different teams. With 14 teams, there is a lot of different volleyball. It’s volleyball though and we have to go in and play our game and compete. Doesn’t matter who we play; we have some good quality teams that they brought in. It’s not going to be a pushover league; it’s going to be a lot tougher than last year.”

Bucyrus took seventh place in the N10 last season, going 6-17 overall and 2-12 in league action. With the expansion of the N10, the Lady Red will face former Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division member Willard and former Mid-Buckeye Conference member Lucas. The Flashes were 22-4 overall last season and 9-1 in the SBC, finishing second, while the Cubs were 5-18 overall and 3-4 in the MBC.

Bucyrus will open its season against Marion Harding, before playing Buckeye Central.

Additional N10 members they will face include Colonel Crawford, Wynford, Division VII state champion Calvert, Mohawk, Seneca East, and Old Fort. The Senecas, Warriors, and Stockaders are in the West Division of the N10, while the Eagles, Royals, and Tigers, along with Willard and Lucas, are in the East Division.

Bucyrus will face the Mounties again in the regular season on Sept 11. Other non-league games include Mount Gilead, Sandusky St. Mary, and Crestline.

To prepare for the challenging season ahead, the Lady Red have a clinic with Findlay, and a couple more tournaments.

“We have a lot of work to do,” Christy said. “We just have to work. The schedule we have is brutal this year, and we have to do everything we can to be prepared as much as possible.”