After defeating Mississinewa in their sectional opener on Wednesday, the Oak Hill Golden Eagles’ 2019 campaign came to an end on Saturday afternoon, as the Western Panthers came away with a three-set triumph (25-21, 25-6, 26-24).
“In sets one and three, it was pretty much back and forth,” Oak Hill Head Coach Kristi Carmichael said. “Nobody was really getting on a run. In those games, it was who made the least amount of mistakes. Unfortunately, for us, they made the least amount of mistakes. It was only a couple, but those add up in the game of volleyball.
“I honestly can’t explain what happened in the second set. It was very tough. It was not so much about what they were doing – it was about what we were not doing. For whatever reason, it just happened that way. They came back. I was proud of the way they came back and played them tough in the third set.”
Taylor Westgate finished with eight kills, while Abby Shaw came away with five. Ella Ridgeway recorded 19 assists, while Alyssa Carmichael led the defense with 13 digs.
Carmichael, Shaw, Westgate, Ridgeway, and Coleena Selleck each played their final high school volleyball match of their career on Saturday. All five played an important role in Oak Hill’s success this season, and all five will greatly missed not just on the court, but off it as well.
“I coached these girls when I was in seventh grade and in junior high,” Carmichael said. “I’ve been with them for so long. Obviously, my daughter is on the team, but I told those girls…I look at them all like they are my kids. They all brought different aspects of their personality to the team – that made [them] special and fun. We had a lot of successes this year that can’t even be measured in stats.
“They aren’t going to remember specifics, but they are going to remember the relationships that they built and the lesson that they learned. That’s what I really want them to take with them as they go.”
Oak Hill finished the 2019 season with a 17-12 record.
