By Drew Terhall

DailyAdvocate.com

TROY — The 12th seed Lady Jets volleyball team lost to the 11th seed Lady Trojans of Botkins, 3-1, in the Southwest Division IV Volleyball Sectional Tournament on Oct. 18 at Troy High School.

The team was shorthanded in this one as they were without their kill leader, junior Allie Muhlenkamp. She was out due to injury.

Head coach Angie Filbrun said the team stepped up in her absence and played well. Botkins just came out and kept her defense on their heels all day long.

“We came out and fought hard. Losing one of our strong players in the middle hurt, but I thought the girls stepped up. They stepped and did an excellent job,” Filbrun said. “But you know what, Botkins came to fight. My goodness I give them a ton of credit.”

It was a close first set. Franklin Monroe held a slim lead throughout the beginning of the set. The Lady Trojans would tie the set twice, including making it a 22-22 set late.

With Muhlenkamp out, junior Presley Cox stepped up and was a major contributor to the offense. Players like junior Maura Yount, junior Olivia Medve and sophomore Katie Waller all made the most of their playing time and contributed.

Franklin Monroe won the first set, 25-23.

The second set started out close as well. But late in the set, Botkins pulled away with a 19-15 lead. The Lady Trojans would find spots across the court and gain momentum.

Botkins took the second set, 25-17.

That momentum would carry over to the rest of the match. The Lady Trojans raced out to an early lead and held on. They built their lead up to 20-8 at one point.

The hitters for the Trojans were accurate all game long. They got the Lady Jets defense moving all around the court and were able to hit the open spots.

Franklin Monroe tried to mount a comeback. They outscored Botkins, 10-5, the rest of the way. The serving and the hitting for Franklin Monroe gave them a fighting chance to comeback in the set.

Botkins held strong and closed out the set, 25-18.

Then it was all Botkins in the fourth set. Frankln Monroe did all they could to try and win some long volleys, but the Botkins offense kept the Franklin Monore defense on their toes. The hitters rarely made mistakes to keep the Lady Jets in the set.

The Lady Trojans won the fourth and final set, 25-13.

The Lady Jets fought hard till the last point in this match. They did all they could to try and come away with a win.

Filbrun said she is proud of how her team came out today. The team competed well and fought hard.

A majority of the team will return next season. They will lose seniors Natalie Suter, Jozlynn Wintrow, Mia Kellems and Keihl Johnson.

“We’re losing four seniors. We’re very thankful for all four of them and all they have given to our program. But, we do return quite a bit of our roster and we’re excited about that,” Filbrun said.

Franklin Monroe ends the 2023 season with a 12-11 record and a 6-5 WOAC record.

Contact Daily Advocate sports editor Drew Terhall at [email protected]