The Ray Jays and Stanley Blue Jays will face off tonight for the Region 8 Championship and a spot in next week's Class B State Tournament.
The championship match will be in Tioga tonight, 25 minutes after the third-place game featuring Burke County and Divide County, which begins at 6 p.m.
Ray and Stanley feature contrasting styles that should make for an interesting matchup.
The Jays are a team that relies on defense and all-around athleticism, with just enough hitting power from senior Samantha Heier and freshman Olivia Corcoran. Senior Leandra Reinholdt and junior Tricia Liesener split the setting duties, and Kendra Heier, Chantel Tracey, Kayla Thompson and Haley Hodenfield also contribute. "We don't have whole lot of height, so we count on our defense to catch a whole lot of stuff," said Ray coach Michelle Dolan.
Stanley, the defending Region 8 champions, features a seemingly endless string of tall, powerful front-row players who can finish a kill and play the back row competently.
Sophomore Jasmin Pappa, sophomore Shaunessy Dauwalder, senior Rachel Mehus, senior Brooke Meyer and eighth-grader Chai Pappa are all threats to reach double-digit kills in any match. ReeAnn Mehus does the setting, and Karlie Hoherz and Bailey Hornberger also see key time.
"I'm excited, and I think they're ready," said Stanley coach Jessica Niemitalo.
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