Cardinals swept by Tigers

TROY - All season New Bremen has shown the reason why they are one of the best teams in the state.

On Saturday, Jackson Center showed the reason why they were the defending state champions.

The Tigers gained momentum at the of the first set and carried it through a 25-22, 25-18, 25-18 victory over the Cardinals in the Division IV regional championship match at Troy High School on Saturday afternoon.

Jackson Center (27-0), the top-ranked team in the final coaches' poll, heads back to the Nutter Center on Friday to face Dalton at noon. The Bulldogs beat Louisville Aquinas to claim the Uniontown regional title.

"Jackson Center proved why they are the defending state champions," Cardinals coach Diana Kramer said. "They haven't lost a match all year. Their coach is tough. Just a fabulous, well-coached team that was used to this. They've been here before and you can tell. The moment caught up with us."

The Cardinals, making their first trip to regionals since the late 1990s, end a fine season at 23-4.

The two teams played earlier in the season, with the Tigers taking a five-set battle.

Jackson Center coach Kim Metz was not expecting a three-set sweep.

"Absolutely not," the veteran Tigers coach said. "Knowing Diana, knowing what she prepares for and what she brings to the plate ... To walk out of here, we feel very blessed."

Jackson Center jumped out early 5-2 and looked ready to make the first set a quick one, raising the lead to 9-4 before the Cardinals began to chip away with short service runs and the heavy hitting of Paige Jones and Rachel Kremer. Down the stretch, a Jones ace got the Cardinals to within one at 22-21, but Cassie Meyer, the two-time Shelby County League Player of the Year, got the kill to make it 23-21. A New Bremen double-hit made it set point, but Jones drilled her seventh kill of the set to keep hope alive until Alicia Kessler ended the set with a kill.

"First sets are amazing," Metz said. "Quite crucial."

The second set was very competitive with seven ties and four lead changes. The Cardinals were up 8-6 and then 10-8, but were unable to push the lead further. That allowed the Tigers to seize control. Christian Ware served up two points to put Jackson Center in the lead at 12-11. Later Vanessa Winner had an ace to help make it 14-12. Kessler came up with the big service run, rattling off four straight points to make it 19-13. New Bremen was unable to get any closer than five points the rest of the way.

Kessler came up big again at the service line in the third set, helping Jackson Center take an 8-2 lead early. Another run by Camryn Hannie made the score 11-5 and forced Kramer to call her second and final timeout.

Every chance the Cardinals had to scratch their way back into the match, the Tigers found ways to cut off the runs. With Meyer, Alicia Kessler, Raquel Kessler and Hannie all threats on the attack, the Cardinal defense was on the move.

"We just try and create different possibilities and options," Metz said.

"They're just solid," Kramer said. "A well-conditioned team that don't make mistakes. They put the pressure on you."

A quick-set by Raquel Kessler gave the Tigers championship point, with an out-of-bounds Cardinal spike ending the match in just over an hour.

Although disappointed in the final outcome, Kramer had praise, especially for seniors Logan Wells, Kennedy Hoying, Taylor Power for being leaders on and off the court with a young group.

"Two of the three hardly got in, but those three are the heartbeat of this team," Kramer said. "They kept the team going, were unselfish and knew their role. I hope every little kid watching can grow up and accept their role the way (the seniors) did, because they are fabulous people. The underclassmen are only going to get better. This will make them hungry."