The Lady Pilots didn’t have a letdown after winning their first OVAC Class-2A volleyball championship last week, but turned it up another notch, beating the Frontier Lady Cougars in four sets, 22-25, 25-22, 25-13 and 25-23.

In the first of the best of five sets, Lady Cougars went toe-to-toe with the mighty Pilots and captured the opening set, 22-25. However, Jim Turner’s young squad would rally and win the next three sets to gain the sectional victory.

Mackenzie Wade paced the red-hot Lady Pilots with a match-high 22 points, while teammates Monica Curtis and Amanda Bennett equally split 28 points. Jensen Caretti followed with 12 markers, while Brissa Marshall netted 11 points, and Mackenzie Marshall nine points that included a team-high three service aces.

In addition, Curtis made 32 assists, while Caretti was strong at the net, blasting a game-high 28 kills and blocking three Cougar spikes. Mackenzie Marshall made a game-high 22 digs, while Wade and Curtis each made 15. Others chipping in with digs were Caretti with 11, Tiffany with eight, Abby Caldwell with seven, Bennett with four, Mikayla Cieszeski with three and Brissa Marshall with a pair.

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Mackenzie Marshall served up eight aces, while scoring a game-high 28 points and made as many digs to lift the Lady Pilots to a four-set Sectional Finale over Bellaire St. John Saturday in Barnesville.

Mackenzie Wade followed with 17 markers and 11 digs, while teammates Jensen Caretti and Amanda Bennett each provided 16 points. In addition, Monica Curtis scored 12 points and dished out 31 assists, while making 15 digs. Brissa Marshall scored seven points and made just as many digs.

Caretti was a force at the net for the Lady Pilots, blasting a game-high 22 kills and blocking four Iris shots, while Bennett, Tiffany Connors and Mikayla Cieszeski each blasted three kills. Cieszeski also made a team-high eight blocks, while Mackenzie Marshall scored eight service aces, and Curtis, Bennett and Brissa Marshall each served up an ace.

The Lady Pilots move on to the district competition before press time Oct. 22 at Buckeye Trail High School to face off with Tuscarawas Central Catholic.