It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Centerville had no problem doing just that on Saturday. They won by a set and slipped past the Sycamore Aviators 3-2. The victory was nothing new for the Elks as they're now sitting on 15 straight.
Centerville had a slow start but a hot finish: after dropping the first two sets, they turned around to win the next three. The match finished with set scores of 20-25, 24-26, 25-10, 25-13, 15-12.
Centerville got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Payton Miller out in front who had 16 digs and five aces. That's the most aces Miller has posted since back in October of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Hadley Heil, who had five digs and four aces.
Centerville was lethal from the service line and finished the game with 16 aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least seven aces in seven consecutive matchups.
Ari Demaris and Emily Balent certainly did their best on Saturday to avoid the loss. Demaris had 16 digs, while Balent had six digs and ten assists. Demaris is on a roll when it comes to digs, as she's now had 12 or more in the last six games she's played.
Centerville's victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 21-3. As for Sycamore, they have been struggling recently as they've lost seven of their last nine games, which put a noticeable dent in their 13-11 record this season.
Centerville has already played their next contest, a 3-0 defeat against Olentangy Berlin on the 31st. Sycamore does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
