The fifth-seeded Big Walnut volleyball team, fresh off an OCC-Capital Division championship, opened postseason play with a dominant 25-20, 25-17, 25-10 win over visiting and 26th-seeded DeSales Wednesday night in Sunbury.
The Golden Eagles jumped out to an 11-4 lead in the opening set and never looked back. A Teagan Ng kill ballooned the lead to 17-12 before a combo block by Madie Clawson and Denza Allen bumped the edge to 19-12, forcing a Stallion timeout.
DeSales responded out of the break, using a 4-0 run including a block by Lyla Stewart to cut the deficit to 19-16, but Big Walnut had a response of its own after that, capping a mini run with an ace by Ng before a touch shot from Mackenzie Krous put the finishing touches on the opening-set win.
Two straight aces from Jenna Cox got BW off to a good start in the second set before a kill by Hattie Welker made it 5-2 early on, but neither team as able to get much separation until the Eagles finally did toward the middle of the set.
A touch shot from Allen gave Big Walnut an 18-13 edge it parlayed into the second-set win.
Krous opened the third-set scoring with a kill before another kill by Welker and a Stallion hitting error gave BW a quick 3-0 advantage. Back-to-back kills by Welker extended the lead before a kill by Ng, an ace by Welker and a DeSales hitting error made it 9-3.
Big Walnut built a 15-4 lead before slamming the door for good. A kill by Krous set up match point before her ace smoothed out the scoring summary.
The win sets up a showdown with eighth-seeded Dublin Jerome — a 25-18, 25-13, 25-15 winner in its sectional final against Logan — in Wednesday’s district semifinal at Whitehall-Yearling. Action is set to get underway at 7:30 p.m.
Also: Olentangy Orange def. Columbus West 25-13, 25-4, 25-10.
GIRLS SOCCER
Reagan Ross assisted on each of the first three goals and sixth-seeded Olentangy rolled from there, opening its Division I district tournament run with a lopsided 6-0 win over visiting and 24th-seeded Hilliard Darby Wednesday night in Lewis Center.
Kareena Wardlow found the back of the net off a feed from Ross to open the scoring summary midway through the first half, then Ross found Lexi White to make it 2-0 by the break.
Ross’ third assist, a corner kick Ansley Gulley was able to finish, made it 3-0 shortly into the second half before Audrey Oliver, Mary Robinson and Taylor Novak added on late.
Olentangy Berlin 10, Groveport 0
Fina Davy and Cameryn Susey scored two goals apiece to lead the top-seeded Bears to a dominant win over the visiting Cruisers in the first round of the Division I district tournament Wednesday night in Delaware.
Davy also added a team-best two assists for Berlin, which will host 43rd-seeded Westland in Saturday’s sectional final.
Also: Olentangy Orange 10, Central Crossing 0; Big Walnut 11, Grove City 1.
FIELD HOCKEY
Georgia Dudon scored a pair of goals and Abby McLaughlin added another to lead Olentangy to a 3-0 win over visiting Bexley in the first round of postseason play Wednesday night in Lewis Center.
Next up, the seventh-seeded Braves will take on second-seeded Watterson Tuesday night.
BOYS SOCCER
Bloom-Carroll 7, Buckeye Valley 0.
