Harrison Central volleyball falls to St. Clairsville in season opener
Ava Conley (6) hammers home a returns to register a kill as Harrison’s Lillian Thomas (4), Hannah Grady (12), Jaylin Ward, (8) and Madison Taylor (1) look on.
Ed Banks
Despite strong efforts from sisters Leah and Hannah Grady, the young Lady Huskies squad struggled with serve errors and consistency in their three-set loss.
It wasn’t for lack of effort, but Harrison Central’s 2025 volleyball debut ended in a loss to visiting St. Clairsville Saturday, Aug. 15, in Cadiz. Careens, misfires and miscues on serves contributed to the setback.
Not giving up under the Red Devils’ attack, the Lady Huskies fought throughout the match but saw their efforts consistently thwarted by the visitors at every phase of the game.
The junior varsity set the tone for the evening, falling in two consecutive sets by scores of 25-23 and 25-18. The opener was the Huskies’ best, as they jumped out to a 6-0 lead. From there, momentum swung to the south side of the net, and St. Clairsville carried it the rest of the way. The junior Red Devils went on to complete the sweep.
“St. Clairsville worked its way into the spots we struggled with and took advantage of it,” said Harrison Central head coach Grace Godich. “They are a pretty solid team with many returning varsity players. Our team plays together very well, even though we are very young. We have five freshmen on varsity who are learning a different pace of the game compared to junior high, but with time that will come along. We have to work out some kinks, but I see a bright future for this team.”
In the varsity match, miscues on serves again proved costly. The Huskies looked sharp early, but errors contributed to a 25-19 loss in the first set. Service issues and play at the net continued in the second set, which ended 25-18 in favor of the Red Devils. Several promising rallies ended when returns clipped the top of the net and dropped back onto the Huskies’ side.
In the third set, St. Clairsville unleashed a barrage of kills and added a few aces for good measure. The onslaught forced Godich to insert junior varsity players late, and the Red Devils closed out the night with a 25-13 win.
The Huskies were led by Leah Grady with five kills, five assists and six digs. Her sister, Hannah Grady, added four kills, 13 assists and six digs. Jaylin Ward finished with two kills and two blocks, while Mikayla Pelegreen recorded one kill and 13 digs.
