Gallia Academy’s dream volleyball season added a first on Saturday: the Blue Angels swept Wheelersburg 25-16, 25-13, 25-15 in a Division IV regional final at Logan to claim the first regional championship in program history, SOSA Ohio reported.
Gallia Academy (26-0) stayed perfect on the season, while Wheelersburg’s year ended at 22-4, according to SOSA Ohio. The Blue Angels are now two wins away from a state championship.
“I feel like this is what we’ve been working towards,” Gallia Academy coach Ashton Webb told SOSA Ohio. “I told them during the first timeout that this is what a state championship team looks like. I was so proud of them for wearing their emotions on their sleeves and playing with their hearts.”
The Blue Angels set the tone early. Tied 5-5 in the first set, two kills each from Piper Pugh and Abby Clark and another from Aspen Barnes sparked a 7-1 run to 12-6, SOSA Ohio reported. Wheelersburg cut it to 14-10 behind Lainey Skeenes, but Pugh answered with two kills and an ace and Gallia Academy closed the set out from a 20-12 lead.
Pugh took over the second set, SOSA Ohio reported: leading 12-8, she went on a six-kill tear as the Blue Angels charged through a 9-1 run to 21-9. “She’s just a skilled player,” Webb told SOSA Ohio of Pugh. “Her head is literally above the antenna when she’s hitting and her arm is at the top of that.”
Wheelersburg fought to a 9-9 tie in the third before Gallia Academy ran off six straight points behind Gracyn Clark, Pugh and Barnes, and a final kill from Abby Clark sealed the sweep and the Final 4 berth, according to SOSA Ohio.
“It’s amazing,” Webb told SOSA Ohio. “We’ve been working on this since December and we’ve been talking about this since December. It took a lot of belief from these girls and a huge buy-in. I’m so excited for them, in general.”
Gallia Academy advances to a Division IV state semifinal at 4 p.m. Thursday at Wright State University’s Nutter Center, where it will meet Bishop Fenwick, which defeated Cleves Taylor in straight sets to advance, SOSA Ohio reported.
Photo: Gallia Academy High School in Gallia County, seen from Ohio State Route 141. Photo: Nyttend, public domain