GALION - There was no reason Galion should've swept Shelby in volleyball Thursday night.

In the second, trailing throughout almost the entirety of the set, including 23-17 and even 24-19, Galion battled back to steal away the second set 27-25 after closing it out on an 8-1 run.

"Sometimes they like to keep it interesting," Galion coach Jamie Valentine said. "Same thing happened with Pleasant when we were down 12-7 and came back. I knew it was possible. We looked a little rough in the second set, didn't really get it going, but once we had a few plays, they caught fire and it ignites one another, which is awesome to see."

Galion won the match 3-0 (25-8, 27-25, 25-17) and Kate Schieber's stellar serving late in the second helped her team close the five-point gap and take the lead 25-24 before the ultimately closing it out.

Shelby coach Brandie Albert, said the second set should've ended differently.

"We should've won," Albert said. "It was a mental breakdown, we just weren't mentally tough at all. When you're ahead six points on a team after getting your butt kicked the first round because we couldn't hit a ball in bounds, we were not mentally tough. To be that far ahead and not be able to finish, and for four of the last five points to drop because we weren't in position to pick up tips, which is something we've practiced religiously, I can't do it for them.

"I kind of feel like it was a mental cloud we were in because there's no way that second game should've been theirs."

Galion absolutely dominated the first set, winning by 17 points thanks to the play of sophomore Jaden Ivy. The younger players stepping up was a recurring theme throughout the quick match for the Lady Tigers as Ivy's classmates Kayla Hardy and Samantha Comer helped played key roles in the team's success.

Comer led the way with 13 kills, Hardy had 30 assists and three kills, while Ivy had nine kills, 15 serve attempts, four aces and 12 digs.

"It's super-exciting when you look at the court and there are a lot of young players and they're really just playing well," Valentine said. "Jaden had a great first set and was just on fire hitting. It's interesting because they've all stepped up and it has been a little more even distribution lately which is nice to see.

"That makes us a little more interesting as a team."

For the Lady Whippets, the loss was a tough one, but there are some positives to take away from competing with one of the best teams in the area, albeit for just one and a half sets. That doesn't make losing any easier, though.

"We're young," Albert said. "Five of my 11 kids had varsity experience coming into this year. All 11 kids on my team, other than one kid who is on the bench for support right now, are on the court and have the skill, but don't have the mental toughness right now. I'm hoping the second round through I see that growth. We had that growth against Pleasant, battled with them, played hard, I'll lose like that any day.

"Losing like this is devastating, upsetting, whatever the word might be, just because I know my kids are better than that. To come to a team that is 4-0 in the league, we should've represented ourselves better than that."

Up next for Shelby is a road trip to Buckeye Valley on Tuesday. The same night, a huge league showdown between Galion and Ontario highlights the evening.

"That'll be a big one, we've definitely had our eye on that date," Valentine said. "We're excited and it should be a good one."


Twitter: @Zachary_Holden