Dublin Scioto's volleyball team lost in straight sets to unbeaten Big Walnut on Thursday, Sept. 17. The Golden Eagles won 26-24, 25-19, 25-15 at Scioto in the teams' first OCC-Capital Division meeting of the season.
The loss carries conference-title weight. Last fall, the Irish edged Big Walnut for the OCC-Capital crown by a single game after the two squads split their regular-season series. This time, the Golden Eagles took all three sets and moved to 5-0 in league play, according to the Delaware Gazette.
Big Walnut improved to 12-0 overall with the road win. The Eagles have dropped only three sets across those 12 matches this season.
Scioto competed hard early. The opening set seesawed to 24-all before Big Walnut closed it out 26-24. From there, the Eagles pulled away. They controlled the second set 25-19 and finished with a 25-15 third that was never in question.
Sophie Hamilton powered the Big Walnut attack with 14 kills. Val McKim added seven kills and Karson Joseph added six. Audrey Coulson ran the offense with 30 assists, distributing the ball across all three hitters. Anna Pavlak served a team-high four aces, and Claire Dixon anchored the back row with 14 digs.
Big Walnut's 12-0 start includes a sweep of the LVOA Championship on Sept. 132, where the Eagles beat Pickerington North, Bishop Hartley and Bloom-Carroll without dropping a set. That tournament pushed them to 10-0 before they added wins in their next two matches.
The Eagles' only close calls this season have come in the three sets they have lost. Against Scioto, the 26-24 opener was the tightest set Big Walnut has faced in OCC-Capital play so far.
Big Walnut now holds the early lead in the division at 5-0. The two teams are scheduled to meet again later in the regular season, though the date has not been confirmed.
