Monroeville sweeps its way to regional final

BURTON — In the end, Monroeville was too much. Jackson-Milton entered Thursday's Division VII regional semifinal against Monroeville with a sub .500 record. The Blue Jays were able to keep things close against the No. 5-ranked Eagles in the later stages of the second and third sets. But each time, Monroeville dominated late. Monroeville swept the Blue Jays with scores of 25-15, 25-16, and 25-16 to advance to Saturday's 2 p.m. regional title match back at Burton Berkshire High School. The Eagles (23-2) will face Elyria Open Door Christian (22-4), who won the second semifinal Thursday over Kidron Central Christian. "They definitely dug a lot of balls and they were scrappy ones we thought were down but they kept bringing back up," said Monroeville coach Kendra Snook of Milton (12-14). "The nice thing was they kept sending us free balls, so we were able to effectively use all three options and have a nice balanced attack." The Eagles controlled the first set, breaking a 4-4 tie and going up 9-5 after Madi Reiber lobbed the ball over a block attempt. From there, Monroeville never led by less than three points (14-11). Gabby Loose registered a kill for the Eagles on a long swing for a 21-14 lead, then Reiber easily put down a spike from the left side for a 22-14 advantage. Riley Platte then sent a ball over that Jackson-Milton was unable to return and followed that up with a block to set up set point. The Eagles then misplayed a ball, only for Milton to follow with a service error to end the 25-15 win in the first set. In the second set, the Eagles were off and running with a 12-4 lead as Ady Adams served an ace in the stretch. Trailing 13-6, the Blue Jays responded. They pulled within 15-12 after scoring six of the next eight points, and continued to trade points at 17-14. The Eagles then hit one out of bounds and Milton's Charlie Saunders served an ace for a 17-16 deficit. But just as fast, Ady Adams restored order with a huge kill from the right side and Reiber put one down off a Milton block attempt. The Jays then hit one into the net, and when Reiber and Loose followed with kills from the right and left sides, it was suddenly a 22-16 lead. Ady Adams then served her second of three aces for 23-16, and Platte and Loose combined for another block. Reiber then ended the 25-16 win with a kill. In the third set, Addison Lyons had a big run at the service line, including an ace, to put the Eagles up 15-9. Ady Adams followed with a block to push the lead to 16-9, but back came the Jays again. Milton scored two points around a block from Loose, then added a run of four straight points to pull within 17-15. That caused Snook to call her first and only timeout of the match, and again, the Eagles closed the door. Platte had an emphatic kill from the middle of the net, and after Milton mishit a ball, Reiber, Alexa Adams and Ady Adams helped score three in a row for a 22-15 lead. Loose put down a kill from the left side, and the Jays hit the ball out of bounds. Serving match point, Lyons put a ball across that Milton was unable to return to close out the 25-16 win. "We served really effectively," Snook said. "We had nice aces tonight, and we didn't miss a lot and were able to get them out of system quite a bit. Being able to effectively run our offense and have them give us free balls allowed us to be on the attack quite a bit. "But all credit to them. They were extremely scrappy like I knew would happen. Their setter did a nice job for them running their offense." Reiber finished with 11 kills, followed by Ady Adams with 10. Platte had seven kills and three blocks, while Loose and Alexa Adams each had six kills. Kaci Poths has 21 assists and served four aces. Lyons had 11 assists and 10 digs, while Addison Homan paced the defense with 29 digs. Alexa (14) and Ady (10) Adams also each had double-digit digs for the Eagles, who are back in the regional final for the first time since 2022. Monroeville played in five straight regional championships from 2018-22, going 4-1 in the stretch. The Eagles are looking for their sixth state semifinal appearance with a win Saturday. "Obviously we're very fortunate to have some experience with being in an Elite Eight with this senior group," Snook said. "Anytime in the tournament you can win and move on, it's special. Only eight teams will still be playing come Saturday and we're fortunate to be one of them. "I'm extremely proud of the girls and want them to go out there focused, but also having fun."