Owensville Middle School (OMS) volleyball teams coached by Emily McKinney and Jamie Ridenhour opened the March portion of their season with a road match at Pacific last Tuesday night in addition to home matches against Highway 19 opponents Cuba last Wednesday night and Hermann last Thursday night.

Hosting Cuba’s Lady Wildcats last Wednesday night at Owensville Elementary School (OES), Ridenhour’s eighth-grade Dutchgirls saw their seventh-grade counterparts need three sets to win their match by scores of 25-14, 23-25 and 15-8.

Looking to sweep the twin bill, Owensville wound up taking the eighth-grade match in two sets by scores of 25-18 and 25-23.

After a Cuba service error to start the eighth-grade match, Zaylie Gromer served the next seven points which included five aces helping the Dutchgirls to an early 8-0 lead.

Now leading 10-4, a Zoie Barnes kill sent Jordyn Crosby behind the serving line where she recorded two aces bumping the orange and black advantage up to nine points at 13-4.

Leading 17-10 later in game one, two service points from Gromer and three points from Allison Evans helped the Dutchgirls take game one.

Crosby started game two with serving duty for the Dutchgirls recording five aces in a row helping OMS to a quick 7-0 lead.

After an Adelyn McDonald kill, Jorja Johnston added an ace to go along with a Barnes ace out of four points pushing Owensville’s game-two lead into double digits at 15-3.

Able to survive numerous errors in the second half of game two, Owensville held on to take game two and the match.

McKinney’s seventh-grade Dutchgirls started game one with an Ella Homeyer ace before Kendra Sullinger added four aces giving Owensville a 7-2 lead early in the first set.

After an Eleanor Albright ace put the Dutchgirls up 9-4, four Adalynn Oldfather aces moved the orange and black lead into double digits at 15-5.

Two Alexis Christensen aces and two more Sullinger aces eventually led to the Dutchgirls taking game one from Cuba.

Tied at 3-3 in game two, a Cuba service error sent Lillian Franchi behind the service line when she delivered an ace over the next four points giving Owensville an 8-4 lead.

Ollie Ray delivered an ace over the next two points bumping the OMS lead to 11-6.

Trailing 17-13 midway through game two, a Sophia Elliott kill sent Homeyer back behind the service line where she served the next five points putting Owensville back in front 19-17.

Ragen Tucker then gave the Dutchgirls a 21-19 lead before a handful of Owensville of errors sent the match to a decisive third set.

Two aces from Homeyer and Sullinger along with an Albright ace helped the Dutchgirls win game three and the match.

Last Thursday against Hermann, Owensville won the eighth-grade match in two sets by scores of 25-17 and 25-13 while the seventh-grade match went to Hermann by scores of 25-23 and 25-7.

During a seventh-grade quad Saturday at Owensville High School, McKinney’s Dutchgirls defeated New Haven in two sets 25-19 and 25-15 before also sweeping Salem in two sets 25-17 and 25-21.

Owensville’s final match of the morning Saturday gave them a shot at revenge against Hermann.

Dropping game one 25-23, Owensville came back to win the next two sets and the match 23-25, 25-13 and 15-12.

Trailing 6-4 in game one, A Hermann service error led to Albright service points which included two aces giving the Dutchgirls a 9-6 lead.

Hermann’s Lyndsey Krueger answered with two aces over the next five points putting the Lady Bearcats back on top 12-9.

Down 14-10, a Hermann service error put Tucker back on serving duty where she served the next six points putting the orange and black back on top 17-14.

Tucker served three aces over those six points.

Unable to hold on to the lead, Owensville dropped game one needing to take game two to force a decisive third set.

Three Christensen aces over six points gave OMS an early 7-2 lead in game two before Franchi added an ace over a four-point stretch bumping Owensville into double digits with a 12-3 lead.

Four more Sullinger aces later in the second set helped Owensville take game two 25-13 sending the match to a decisive third set.

Hermann’s Elana Towery served six aced over a seven-point stretch giving Hermann an 8-0 lead before three Sullinger service points helped Owensville cut the deficit in half at 8-4.

Trailing 12-6, a Hermann service error sent Oldfather behind the service line only for her to serve out the match helping the Dutchgirls take game three 15-12.

Facing Bourbon Monday night and Sullivan last night (Tuesday) in a pair of road matches along Interstate 44, Ridenhour’s eighth-grade Dutchgirls will host their annual home tournament on Saturday, March 14 beginning at 8 a.m.