On Thursday, September 12, the Volleyball Vikes were in The Mack to play Buckeye Valley. After defeating Whitehall in an away game on Tuesday, September 10, the Vikes were ready to add yet another win to their record. 

Our girls kept Buckeye Valley on their toes throughout the first set. With kills from Sophia Freytag’20 and Lily Plaugher’21 and an ace from Mackenzie Smith’20, the Vikes were hot on the heels of the Barons, with the score tied 23-23 by the end of the first set. Buckeye Valley gained a lead at the last minute, but the early loss did not shake our girls.

In the second set, the Vikes left no openings for their opponents. Steady plays from the whole team won us the second set, and our girls turned it up a notch in the third. Tips from Mabry Nichols’20 and Sophia Freytag bought us a 12-8 lead, and kills by Plaugher and Abigail Freytag’20 kept us ahead. After a line shot by Kerry O’Connor’22, the Vikes easily took the third set 25-18. 

The Barons came close in the fourth set, but the Vikes were on a roll. With two ace serves in a row from O’Connor, tips from Nichols and Sophia Freytag, and a cross-court kill by Plaugher, our girls dashed Buckeye Valley’s hopes of a victory, taking the fourth and final set 27-25. 

Academy’s record is now 6-3, and our girls aim to add to their 3-game win streak with three games this upcoming week. They kick things off away against Westerville North on Monday, September 16, before another away game against  Worthington Christian on Tuesday, September 17. CA will end the week against Grandview Heights at home on Thursday, September 19.