Youngstown earns first tournament win over Tigers
Youngstown earns first tournament win over Tigers
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YOUNGSTOWN -- On Thursday night, the Youngstown volleyball team made school history.
Not only did the Defenders win their first tournament game, but the squad became the first Youngstown team since the merger to win a postseason game.
The Defenders beat Cleveland Heights 3-1 in their sectional final.
When the final point was tallied, the players, coaches and fans celebrated in cheers. The emotion flowed through those in attendance when everyone realized what the win meant for Youngstown High School.
"It means everything to us," Youngstown head coach Alexandra Hymes said. "These girls work hard all year long. I couldn't have asked for a better team. Even with the combining of the schools, we never missed a beat. It was like we got all the pieces to the puzzle this year. We came out and performed, and it shows."
The first 10 points were evenly split, but Cleveland Heights eventually held a 15-8 lead. The Defenders battled back to trim the deficit to 18-15. But the Tigers went on another run to take the first set 25-15.
"First set, big game. They had to get the jitters out and figure it out," Alexandra Hymes said. "We're a team of figuring it out."
And figure it out they did.
The second set was tied at 10 after a kill by Youngstown’s Ja’Mia Hymes. And later, the Defenders scored five straight points to take an 18-13 lead.
It was room to work with, and a kill by Ja’Mya Hymes tied the match at 1 when Youngstown took the second set 25-20.
Similar to the second set, the Defenders held a slim 20-16 lead in the third. And they took a 2-1 advantage after taking the third 25-19.
The Defenders dug themselves in a hole early in the fourth. The Tigers led 8-2, forcing a Youngstown timeout. However, an eight-point run gave Youngstown a 10-8 lead and forced Cleveland Heights to burn a timeout.
A five-point streak increased the Defenders' lead to 17-12.
The Tigers tried clawing back. But for the match point, Cleveland Heights attempted to clear the ball, but it hit the divider above the net and fell to the court as Youngstown took the fourth 25-21.
"I came in knowing, just let them figure out that first set," Alexandra Hymes said. "Once we get into a rhythm, then we'll play our game. That's what it's been all year."
Youngstown will face first-seeded Strongsville on Tuesday in its district semifinal.
No one knows how the tournament will look for the Defenders, but for the rest of their lives, the members of the volleyball team can claim that they earned the first postseason victory for the new high school.
"We got the very first win then, and we got the first playoff win now," Alexandra Hymes said. "We're just gonna keep playing. Right now, it's just having fun. There's no pressure."