Shaylee Fennell, Gilmer Open 16-3A With Sweep of Chapel Hill

NEW CHAPEL HILL — The Gilmer Lady Buckeyes opened District 16-3A play with a 25-16, 25-13, 25-18 sweep of the Chapel Hill Lady Bulldogs on Tuesday night.

Setter Shaylee Fennell recorded 10 assists to add to her one block, one kill and one dig.

Gilmer had minimal problems in the first game and used Chapel Hill’s service errors to its advantage. Fennell propelled the Lady Buckeyes behind eight straight service points, two of which were aces.

The Lady Bulldogs tried to come back with a kill by Shay Ross, but inconsistent serving would be their downfall in the opening game.

In Game 2, the Lady Bulldogs came within four points of the Lady Buckeyes. However, two missed serves and a lack of communication allowed Gilmer to extend its lead by 12 and take an easy win.

Game 3 was tied, 14-14, before Gilmer took control. Fueled by another stellar service performance by Fennell, who went 6-of-6 from the service line, the Lady Buckeyes picked up momentum to put away the game and match away.

“It’s really big to start (district) with a win,” Gilmer coach Keely Schlabs said. “We had an injury, our starting outside hitter was out, but we had Karlie White come in and take her place. We weren’t too worried about it; we knew we’d come out strong. We play Kilgore on Saturday and we need to work on our finishing. That will be our main focus going into that matchup.”

Jessie Jacoby knocked down three kills and recorded one block for the Lady Buckeyes. MaKayla Sikes also chipped in with two kills and two digs.

Chapel Hill was led by Shay Ross, who hammered down five kills to add to her six blocks. Setter Schuyler Wages added 12 assists to go with her one kill and one dig.

Gilmer hosts Kilgore on Saturday, while Chapel Hill returns the court on Sept. 18 against Spring Hill.