The Chillicothe Lady Hornets were facing the Savannah Savages in the Class 3 District 16 tournament championship game from Bishop Leblond Saturday afternoon.
Chillicothe trailed 19-17 in the opening set when the Lady Hornets went on a run behind strong hitting from Ava Leamer and Emerson Staton. The Lady Hornets won the final eight points of the set to take 1-0 lead in the match.
The second set was another very tight contest with the score tide 17-17 Savannah pulled away late to win 25-19 and even the match up.
Late in the pivotal third set, Savannah’s star player Aryana Spry injured her ankle as she landed after a successful kill and had to miss the closing points of the set. Watching on from the bench, her teammates came through as Savannah broke the 22-22 deadlock after the injury delay and escaped 25-23 giving the Savages a two sets to one advantage.
With Spry still on the bench, Chillicothe raced out to a major lead. Carman Woodworth served 7 straight and Chillicothe scored 13 out of 14 points to open up a 17-7 advantage. Lyla Beetsma was attacking the ball extremely well on the outside and Emerson Staton provided great offense from the middle. Clara Fisher also had several crucial kills for Chillicothe in the match. However, when Spry returned from injury, Savannah continue to cut into the deficit tying the game up at 22-22. The Hornets were unable to stop Savannah’s momentum and the Savages completed the comeback 25-23 to close out the match in four sets.
The Lady Hornets sensational season ends with a 30-5 mark as Midland Empire Conference Champions.