Tornadoes flourish after slow start

WILLARD – Whether it was the 50-minute delay to start the match or it was just adjusting to a different-looking Ashland team Monday night, Columbian adjusted and rolled past the Arrows. After a 50-minute delay to start the Division III district semifinal at Willard due to a broken sensor that caused the fire alarm to keep going off, the match finally started and so did Ashland. TC swept the Arrows back on Sept. 15 earlier this season, but even coach Hope Boes admitted it certainly didn't look like the same team Columbian was playing again. After the Arrows took the opening set, TC senior Kaela Jenkins started to rise up and take over the match to lead the Tornadoes to a 25-27, 25-22, 25-14, 25-17 win over the Arrows. With the win, the top-seeded Tornadoes (17-7) will take on second-seeded Notre Dame Academy (4-19) back at Willard Wednesday at 6 p.m."Props to Ashland first because they are certainly a different team than what they were when we saw them earlier in the season," Boes said. "A great group of players, and coaching staff … but we were making errors we shouldn't of, our serve receive was a little off in that first set, but the good thing about this team is that when they're struggling their teammate is there to pick them up and they just keep talking, working … they have that never-give-up attitude."TC is littered with a lot of experience from a tournament run last season and with a challenging regular season this year, so after dropping the opening set Wednesday, there was no panic.Jenkins started to have her way at the net and the consistent playmaking ability from Lexi Beaston also was key to the comeback.TC did lead most of the opening set, but let it slip at the end as Ashland (14-10) began to raise its confidence as Katelyn Aber capped off Set 1 with a kill.The second set was back and forth for a lot of it, but TC never let the Arrows get too far ahead until it was 18-15 Arrows. Beaston smashed a kill and then her and Jenkins went back and forth smacking kills to get TC back in it down the stretch as Jenkins tallied nine of her team-high 26 kills in the second set alone.After TC won the second set, it just rolled from there as the team seemed to take a collective deep breath and exhaled in the third set, racing out to an 8-0 advantage and didn't look back."Yes, it was the aggressive serving, Lexi serving well, and Gabby Shock has only missed one serve all year," Boes said. "I love having her back there when Kaela is in front row, but that was awesome. Just Kaela kitting the ball, Lexi hitting and placing the ball, Josie Kancler hitting it well also, Abby Lewis had a few key things … everyone contributed. Emma (Daugherty) and Erica (Raubenolt) defensively played well and they just continued to work through it and communicate out there. They just keep working and working until that breakthrough happens."Jenkins paced the Tornadoes with 26 kills, six blocks and a pair of digs, while Beaston tacked on 13 kills, three aces and 12 digs, Avary Brown collected four aces, three kills, 43 assists and six digs, Kancler finished with three kills and 11 digs, Daugherty made 10 digs, Shock had two aces and five digs, Raubenolt made five digs, Abby Lewis added two kills and three digs and Caroline Lewis slammed down three blocks.The Tornadoes move on with a chance to win their second straight district title."I expect a good match between us and who we play and we'll keep doing what we've been doing all year. It's worked all year, so shouldn't change it now," Boes said.