Andy Close
MEADVILLE, Pa. – In a match that decided the Region 5 championship, it was Meadville that rallied for a 3-2 (21-25, 27-25, 21-25, 25-16, 16-14) win over Warren.
The win also likely secured the top seed in the District 10 Class 3A playoffs for the Bulldogs.
Meadville rallied from a 22-17 deficit in the second set to even things up, which turned out to be a big swing in the match, even with Warren rallying to take the third set.
On a night when the Bulldogs’ defense had to be great with the depth of Warren’s offensive attack, they were. Kendall Mealy had a team-high 36 digs on her way to Allegheny Grille of Foxburg Player of the Game honors, while Emma Parks had 25 digs and Elliott Schleicher 16 digs.
“We’re two competitive teams, so we knew it was going to be a dogfight to see who wins,” Mealy said during the Cole Orthodontic Associates postgame interview.
Warren rallied in the third set, going on a 7-1 run to close it out after trailing 20-18.
Meadville dominated the fourth set, 25-16, as Emma Parks, who finished with a team-high 26 kills to go along with 25 digs, had some big swing and Elliot Schleicher ran the offense to the tune of 43 set assists while also notching 16 digs.
Meadville led 13-8 in the fifth set, but Warren rallied to tie it at 14-all thanks in large part to Alexia Bowers, who finished with a team-high 18 kills, before Meadville was able to close it out.
Mealy also had four set assists for Meadville, while Sydney Holt had 13 kills and 15 digs, Ellie Kellick seven kills and three blocks, Aubrey Decker three blocks and Gabby Revel five kills and nine digs.
Maddy Jones had 11 kills and 12 digs for Warren, while Lindsay Madigan ran the offense with 55 set assists to go along with 16 digs, five kills and two aces and Summer Lucks 46 digs and two aces.
Also for Warren, Madelyn Nosel had 10 kills and two blocks, Kylie Fehlman 11 kills and four blocks, Lilly Newton 11 kills, two blocks and two aces, Sophie Walker eight digs and Lily Walker five digs.
While Meadville likely locked up the No. 1 seed in the 3A playoffs, Warren will likely be the No. 2 and Conneaut sliding in at No. 3.
