Several local prep volleyball teams are still alive in postseason action as Marietta, Waterford, Fort Frye and Frontier have all won sectional championships.
The Fort Frye Cadets have already had a season to remember, winning the school's first sectional championship in volleyball since 2001 on Saturday.
However, head coach Sam Skinner and the Lady Cadets do not plan on stopping there, as they look to advance to a district final match. In their way is West Muskingum of the Muskingum Valley League.
The Tornadoes proved they can hang with tough teams, as they defeated a 19-5 Monroe Central team in four sets in a sectional final.
Fort Frye, after sweeping Shenandoah in its sectional final, will look to ride that momentum into Cambridge High School today against West M at 6 p.m. Should the Lady Cadets come out on top, the district final will take place Thursday, where they will face the winner of Tuscarawas Valley/Ridgewood.
Deidra Combs, Lexi Huck, Alli Hesson and Bailey Thieman will likely have big impacts for Fort Frye.
Frontier also remains alive in postseason play. The Cougars have been impressive so far, as they have yet to lose a set in the playoffs after sweeping Caldwell and Beallsville on their way to a sectional crown.
Now Frontier has its sights set on Tuscarawas Central Catholic, who will be its opponent in the district semifinal today at Buckeye Trail High School. The match will start at approximately 7:30 p.m.
Barnesville or Garaway awaits the Cougars, as the winner of that matchup will play Frontier in the district final Thursday, should Frontier beat Tuscarawas Central Catholic.
Key players for the Cougars will be Christin Douglass, Emily Hinton, Kaylee Hurst and Kelsie Rinard.
The Lady Tigers, after defeating Vinton County in three sets last Wednesday, will travel to Southeastern High School to take on Westfall in a district semifinal matchup this Wednesday at approximately 7 p.m.
Westfall figures to be a formidable opponent, as it also swept its opponent, Miami Trace, in a sectional final match.
Marietta went 18-4 in the regular season en route to winning the East Central Ohio League. Should the Tigers beat Westfall, they will advance to the district finals on Saturday, where they will face the winner of Unioto/Washington Court House.
The Ron Kidder-coached Tigers are led by seniors Kaitlyn Cozzens, Lexi Walsh, Kourtney Crum, Haley Bonar and Kristen Hill.
The Waterford Wildcats have also had an impressive 2012 campaign, with an overall record of 19-4 so far. Their most recent match against Tri Valley Conference foe South Gallia was for a sectional title. The Lady Wildcats won in four sets.
Waterford, led by head coach Jandy Drayer, faces a tough challenge Thursday against Clay at Jackson High School.
In its sectional final, Clay routed Manchester in three sets by scores of 25-10, 25-16 and 25-11. The district semifinal matchup is scheduled to begin at approximately 7 p.m.
Should Waterford win the match, it will be back in action Saturday against either Fairfield or TVC-Hocking champion Eastern for the district championship.
In order for Waterford to be successful, it will need big performances from seniors Brooke Drayer, Chelsey Paxton, Jayde Heiss and Tori Pyatt, as well as underclassmen Taylor Hilverding, Laura Hill and Alyssa Miller.
Along with Monroe Central, Shenandoah and Caldwell, Warren has also been eliminated from postseason play. The Lady Warriors, coached by Dan Anderson, fell to Athens in three sets last Wednesday in a sectional championship game.
