DOVER — North Montgomery took care of business early in Thursday’s Western Boone 2A sectional against Delphi. The Chargers swept the Oracles 3-0.
With the score tied 4-4 early in the first set, the Chargers took the lead for good, helped by an ace by sophomore Kate Merica to make the score 6-4.
Two aces by sophomore Claire Sennett ended the game with the Chargers winning 25-14.
Charger coach Taylor Pierce said the fast start was important for her team and was a point of emphasis before the match.
“We talked about setting our standard for our play,” Pierce said. “We told the girls we were there to play our game.”
In the second set, North Montgomery jumped out to a 9-1 lead. Senior Piper Ramey served six straight points which included one ace. The Chargers maintained a comfortable lead and won 25-10.
Delphi was able to turn things around in the third set. In fact, the Oracles tied the set 17-17. The Chargers were able to outscore Delphi 8-1 to win the set and the match. The Chargers closed out the win with Sennett serving the final seven points.
Pierce was pleased to see her team respond well in the close third game and found a way to close out the match.
“Finishing has been a big thing for us this season,” Pierce said. “Seeing the team come back when we were down was huge. We worked a lot on serving this week in practice and it was much improved tonight.”
The Chargers will now play host and 2A No. 5 Western Boone (20-5) at 11 a.m. Saturday in the semi-final. The Stars swept the Chargers 3-0 in the regular season.
In the other Thursday game, Seeger (11-20) defeated Rensselaer Central 3-1. The Patriots will battle 2A No. 3 Benton Central (26-4) at 1 p.m. Saturday.
The championship match will be played at 6 p.m. Saturday.