LOGAN - It had been a long time since the Logan Lady Chiefs last defeated the Warren Lady Warriors in volleyball, but they did just that earlier this season.
Then, Thursday night, the Purple & White did it again? on Senior Night, no less.
The Lady Chiefs outlasted the Lady Warriors 25-18, 25-16, 22-25, 25-23 in Jim Myers Gymnasium for a season sweep of their Washington County rivals - and, more importantly, an outright second-place Southeastern Ohio Athletic League finish.
Logan wound up its regular season with a 13-9 record (the Lady Chiefs were swept by Scioto Valley League champion Zane Trace on Wednesday evening), and its 7-3 conference record trails only league champion Chillicothe and winds up being two matches clear of Gallipolis and Warren, who tied for third place.
Warren's never an easy out, and that was the case Thursday night after the Lady Chiefs swept the Lady Warriors a few weeks ago at Warren High School.
After Logan won the first two sets, and held the lead late in the third, the Lady Warriors rallied to score the final four points to overcome a 22-21 deficit and keep the match alive.
The Lady Warriors then took an early lead in the fourth set, but advantages of 2-0 and 3-2 were short-lived as the Purple & White took the lead for good with a 5-1 run, capped by senior Ashley McCort's two service aces.
Warren pulled within 9-7 before senior Ashley Dixon served five-straight points in a 6-0 Logan run, highlighted by a couple spike kills by junior Mackenzie Mays, in grabbing a 15-7 advantage.
Logan was still in command (18-11) before a pair of Emma Ryan kills helped the Lady Warriors close the gap to 18-14. Later, kills by Jessica Shaw and Mackenzie Harris helped Warren creep a little closer (20-18) and pull the visitors within striking distance.
But sophomore Alexis Snyder's block kill at the net regained serve for the Lady Chiefs and Mays followed with a block kill off senior Niki Stimmel's serve for a 22-18 advantage.
Logan took a 24-20 lead and was serving game point before the Lady Chiefs had a net return and Warren got two service points from Sarah Proctor to get within 24-23.
But Logan clinched the match on Mays' sixth kill of the fourth set and the Lady Chiefs thus commenced celebrating their second-place finish, their two-match sweep of the Lady Warriors and their seniors.
It was the final regular-season home match for McCort, Dixon, Stimmel, Mackenzie Dicken, Abbie Hughes, Torie Eveland and Devon Shaw, but they now actually have at least one more home tilt remaining: a Central District Division I tournament contest against Westerville North on Monday (6 p.m.) in Jim Myers Gymnasium.
Around the SEOAL: Jackson rallied to upend Gallipolis 25-27, 22-25, 25-22, 25-22, 15-12 and Chillicothe swept Portsmouth 25-15, 25-18, 25-11 in Thursday's other conference finales.
Final SEOAL standings are Chillicothe 10-0, Logan 7-3, Gallipolis and Warren 5-5, Jackson 3-7 and Portsmouth 0-10.
VOLLEYBALL: Logan 3, Warren 1
