Adena meets Smithville Friday at Wright State
Kirsti Yates, who was named to the All-Ohio Second Team earlier this week, has been the heart and soul of the two-shade blue all year long. Yates provides great play at both the net and on the defensive side of things, and her tough serving has produced a league’s third-best total throughout the season. Setter Hannah Halcomb and middle-hitter Kelsey Bielanow probably stuff the stat sheet more often, but it is the intangibles from Yates that really seem to make this team go.
As for stats, Halcomb does a great job spreading the ball making Adena’s offense balanced. Halcomb averaged a league best assist total at just fewer than 11 per game, and in the tournament is averaging over 40 assists per match. During the postseason, Adena has had five hitters – Bielanow, Olivia Arledge, Yates, Allison Morgan, and Jenny Grigsby – producing a very efficient offensive attack at the net for the Warriors.
As for Adena’s semifinal opponent this Friday, Smithville will show a 6-2 offense. First Team All-Ohioan Jenna Pew stands 5'11 and hits out of the middle. Pew had 27 kills in their regional, five-set clincher against Gilmour Academy (last year’s state runner-up to Alexander – the team Adena beat in last week’s regional title match). Pew is complemented by a 5-8 strong side hitter Alex Leister. The extremely athletic Leister was selected Honorable Mention All-Ohio. Finally, another player to watch for Smithville is libero Jessi Hartzler.
The Adena/Smithville match is slated for noon. The second D-III match Friday is Huron (24-3) vs. Middletown Fenwick (22-4). If you are unable to be at Wright State University’s Ervin J. Nutter Center this Friday, you can listen to the game on WKKJ (94.3 FM). Their pre-match coverage will start at approxiamately11:40 a.m.
