ODA v. BCS - 3A District 5 Semifinal match

Led by a pair of sophomore hitters, the Out-of-Door Academy Thunder volleyball team defeated the Bradenton Christian School Panthers 22-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-14. The win earns the Thunder a berth into their second district championship match in as many years. From the start, the match was a competitive battle, with multiple ties and lead changes throughout. In the first game, after 11 ties, the last at 21-21, the Panthers closed out the set with an ace by senior Emily Eurice (28 assists, 10 digs, 7 kills). Coach Andrea Kneser from Bradenton Christian worked to prepare her team mentally to come out strong from the beginning: “We had alot to work on since we played ODA last. It showed in the first game that we were mentally prepared.” Heading into set two, a set featuring nine ties and several lead changes, the Thunder offense started to find their rhythm. Senior Adelaide Mahler, returning from an ankle injury ten days ago, opened the second game up with one of her five kills on the night. Mahler hammered home her second kill of the evening to close out game two, 25-20. “We have struggled to adjust defensively in the past. Luckily, we were able to minimize their attack in the middle and made the adjustment on their setter to help us win game two,” said head coach Stefanie Betz of the Thunder. Tied at a game apiece, the Panthers and the Thunder continued the trend of close sets, this time with seven separate ties in set three. The Thunder pulled away on an error by the Panthers for the biggest lead of the night thus far, 23-17. But the Panthers continued to claw their way back behind the serves of libero Mckenzie James (22 digs) to being down by just a single point at 23-24. Sophie Fedder ripped a kill down the line though--one of her twelve on the evening--to close out the game and take a 2-1 lead overall. By the fourth set, the Thunder continued to run with the momentum, quickly jumping out to an 8-2 and then 18-8 lead before finishing the match 25-14 on a swing from the arm of sophomore Shelby Fulton (12 kills, 4 blocks). “Watching the two teams playing tonight, it is obvious that we both represent the 3A class and small schools really well. We had hoped to play each other in the championship again this year, but unfortunately, our matchup happened earlier than that,” said Kneser. “I’m proud of how we played, especially our seniors, and wish ODA the best of luck going forward.” The Out-of-Door Academy Thunder will face Sarasota Christian School on Thursday evening at 7pm at Sarasota Christian for the 3A District 5 championship.