In the OVAC Class 1-A, Paden City won their semifinal match against Trinity 25-20 and 25-19 to move on to the volleyball championship against Bellaire St. John. However, the Lady ‘Cats lost the opener in overtime, 24-26, and dropped the second 18-25 to claim runnerup in the OVAC.

Amanda Sellers had 35 assists in the two matches, while Alli Bertozzi had 35 kills to lead Paden City in the OVAC Tournament. Sellers also had 12 points, while Bertozzi had 14 digs. Dominique Craft scored 11 points against Bellaire and tallied four against Trinity.

Amanda Tallman had nine kills, six digs, and scored seven points in the tournament, while Amber Palmer netted 14 assists, 11 digs, three kills, and scored one point. Megan Cutlip netted four points and two digs for the Lady ‘Cats who will be the top seed and host the up-coming Mason-Dixon Conference Championship Oct. 31. They will travel to the HammerDome at Magnolia Oct. 27 and take on Magnolia as well as Parkersburg Catholic, before hosting Jefferson Christian and St. Marys, Oct. 29.

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The Beallsville Blue Devils used their home turf as the seventh man to defeat Paden City in three straight sets 21-25, 18-25, and 15-25 on Oct. 5 to win the match and drop the Wildcats record to 20-5.

The hard-hitting ‘Cats couldn’t use their power to penetrate the larger front line of the Blue Devils and had to use 42 digs to gain any type of challenge, with Sellers, Palmer, and Craft each with 10 digs. The Wildcats didn’t dress Bertozzi, the leading hitter in the valley, and super frosh Cutlip, but they would be available in their next matchup with the River Pilots.

Sellers also contributed 25 sets, one kill, and scored two points, while Palmer added two kills and scored two points.

Craft netted four kills and a team-high eight points. Sophomore Amanda Heasley gave the Lady ‘Cats a shot in the arm with six points, including a service ace, while adding five digs. Tallman tallied three points and four kills, while Kelsey Loy came off the bench to net a point on an ace, one dig, and put away two kills. Lynnsie Parsons contributed two digs, while Jongrak Khunisorn had one of her finest matches of the year with 16 sets, four digs, and scored a point.

The Paden City Lady Wildcats are nearing the end of the regular season and disposed of the Lady Cee-Bees in straight sets, 25-16, 25-13, and 25-11 Oct. 13 at Clay-Battelle High School in match one.

Sellers had 22 of her 30 sets converted into points, while adding three points, one kill, and seven digs to lead the Lady Wildcats. Bertozzi led the team with 16 kills, while adding 12 points, including four service aces and had six digs.

Other Lady ‘Cats stepping up big in the win include Tallman with a team-high 16 points, including four service aces. She also added 10 kills and two digs. Palmer had seven assists, while adding one kill, three digs, and scoring two points. Craft scored 10 points, including three aces, three digs, and three kills, while Cutlip netted four points, including two service aces, and four digs.

In match two the ‘Cats won, 25-21, 25-14, and 25-16 in straight sets. Sellers had 25 of her 39 assists go unchallenged, while adding eight digs and scoring six points. Bertozzi wanted the game to end fast, destroying the Cee-Bees with 29 kills. She tallied nine points, including six service aces, while dropping in eight digs. Craft scored a game-high 19-points, including four aces, while adding six digs and three kills.

Other ‘Cats contributing in a big way include, Tallman with six points, including an ace, four digs, and had three kills; Palmer had six assists, one kill, five digs, and scored one point; Cutlip had four digs and scored three points; Heasley, quiet in match one, came off the bench to add three kills, while Khunisorn added seven assists, two digs, and scored three points.