The Ravenswood volleyball team celebrates winning the LKC Championship on Saturday. (Photo provided)
RAVENSWOOD — The killing of Macy Kast put the final touch on a historic moment for the Ravenswood volleyball program Saturday.
The Red Devils went 3-0 in pool play at the LKC Tournament, advancing to the championship match against Tyler Consolidated, defeating Tyler Consolidated in two sets and winning the team’s first LKC Championship. RHS has competed in the LKC Championship twice so far, but fell short both times.
“That moment was pretty surreal.” Ravenswood head coach Chris Michael said. “I’m really happy with our program, I’m happy with our kids and our coaches. We’ve worked really hard to get here.”
The LKC tournament was divided into two divisions, with the top eight teams playing in the Gold Division at Ravenswood and the other eight teams playing in the Silver Division at St. Mary’s. Ravenswood opened the day with a two-set victory over South Harrison (25-22, 25-16). Next, the Red Devils faced Clay County. The Red Devils won the first set 25-18 and then won the second set 25-22. They trailed at 7-all in the third set, but something clicked for Ravenswood.
“I don’t know what it was.” Michael said, “But all of a sudden our game has been raised to a higher level.”
Ravenswood defeated Clay 8-1 in the remaining games, winning 15-8 and advancing to the final pool game against Williamstown.
The Red Devils defeated the Jackets 25-19 in the first set, and Williamstown dominated the second set 25-11. The third set was a back-and-forth affair. Ravenswood, capped with 17 points, defeated the Yellow Jackets 17-16 to advance to the championship.
“Williamstown was in our favor in the second set.” Michael said. “The third set was a close one, but I’m proud of the kids for making big plays under pressure. It was a testament to their mental strength to win against a team with our jersey number. It’s proof.”
The Red Devils showed their resilience with a 9-1 victory over the Silver Knights in the final. They fought back to get back on track and ultimately won the first set 25-22. They won the second set 25-20 to secure the hardware.
“I’ve coached some teams that would have folded in the first set.” Michael said. “This team is resilient. There aren’t many teams that keep fighting in those conditions. I give a lot of credit to the kids for not stuffing up in the first set.”
Kast finished the championship with eight kills and four aces, but it was her sister, Anna Kast, who led the way with 11 kills and 17 digs. Holliday Burroughs and Peyton Mellinger each had three blocks, and setter Annie Starcher had 23 assists.
“Our schedule has been prepared for today.” Michael said. “We have 15 wins against teams that are ranked in the top 10 of our class, and for my kids to beat two top-eight teams within a few hours today is pretty amazing. I thought so.”
Williamstown defeated Gilmer (25-20, 25-18) for third place, Clay defeated Doddridge (25-13, 25-23) for fifth place, and Ritchie County defeated South Harrison in seven innings (25 vs. 22, 27 vs. 26). -Place match.
