Harrison Central volleyball celebrates seniors Jaylin Ward and Hannah Grady

Harrison Central volleyball celebrated its two senior players, Jaylin Ward and Hannah Grady, prior to a home match against visiting Barnesville Tuesday, Sept. 30.

Ward and Grady were escorted to center court, where they received the traditional gifts of a cake and flowers in a ceremony usually reserved for a senior’s final home contest. The presentation by their teammates was emotional for both the players and the Husky crowd.

Head coach Grace Godish praised the seniors’ leadership. “Hannah Grady and Jaylin Ward were our seniors this season,” Godish said. “They came in on day one with great attitudes and ready to step up to become the leaders of this team. I cannot explain how impressed I am with the two of them and their ability to take on this season’s leadership role.

“Those two girls always worked hard. They stayed after practices to get extra touches and reps and always wanted to be here to get better. That leadership is contagious, and they have lifted this group up. I am so proud of how far they have come in their volleyball careers. I wish them the best as they continue their academic careers, and we will all miss them so much next season.”

At the time of the Barnesville match, the Huskies were 6-12 overall and 2-3 in conference play. The loss dropped their record to 6-13.

In the contest, Harrison Central kept pace early with ties in the opening set at 5, 6, 9, 11 and 12. The Huskies led 8-6 and 9-6 before Barnesville moved ahead 11-9 and pulled away to win 25-19.

The second set included ties at 3 and 6 before Barnesville dominated, opening a 16-8 lead and closing out the set 25-10. The final set was one-sided, with the Shamrocks leading 7-1, then 20-8, and eventually taking the match with a 25-11 victory.

For Harrison Central, Ava Conley had three kills and two digs; Ward recorded one kill and six digs; Grady had three kills, four assists and three digs; Lillian Thomas added two kills and five digs; and Leah Grady contributed two aces, six assists and 11 digs.

On Thursday, Oct. 2, the Huskies traveled to Martins Ferry, where they fell to the Lady Purple Riders. In that match, Leah Grady tallied two aces, two kills, three assists and three digs; Ward added two aces, two kills, one assist and one dig; and Hannah Grady posted two aces, one kill, two assists and one dig.