The Miami Trace High School volleyball team won the program’s 33 consecutive Frontier Athletic Conference match when they beat Hillsboro Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. The win secured for the Panthers their third consecutive outright conference title. (front, l-r); Ellie Robinette, Sydney Carter, Mallory Johnson; (middle, l-r); Alyssa Esker, Ellie Hoppes; (back, l-r); coach Mariah Roberts, coach Heather Hoppes, Brooklyn Radcliff, Lauren Guess, Addyson Butts, Lauren Farrens, Kylie Yeazel, Cecilia Robinson, Allison Carter, and head coach Doug Mace.
Chris Hoppes | Record-Herald
Miami Trace seniors Ellie Robinette (2) and Addyson Butts (20) go for the block during a Frontier Athletic Conference match at Hillsboro High School Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. Miami Trace won this match in three sets to secure an outright FAC championship for the third year in a row.
Chris Hoppes | Record-Herald
HILLSBORO — The Miami Trace High School volleyball team was looking to capture a third consecutive outright Frontier Athletic Conference championship upon visiting Hillsboro Tuesday, Oct. 1.
The achievement was accomplished with a three-set win over the Indians, 25-12, 25-5 and 25-22.
Sydney Carter and Cecilia Robinson shared the team lead in digs for Miami Trace, each with 12.
Kylie Yeazel had eight digs for the Panthers.
Addyson Butts led Miami Trace with five ace serves.
Lauren Farrens led the Panthers with 14 kills. Butts had 11 kills and Lauren Guess had eight kills.
Miami Trace won the j-v match, 25-9 and 25-13.
The result lifted the j-v team record to 13-3.
“We’re extremely proud,” Miami Trace head coach Doug Mace said. “Espeically (winning) three in a row. For our seniors, that’s three out of four years they won the league. When they were freshmen, we finished second that year (8-2). Chillicothe won the league that year. They had a really nice team and we were close to them, but we couldn’t quite get there.
“In the second set tonight, Cecilia went back there and served and really did an awesome job,” Mace said.
The score in the second set at one point was 7-5 in favor of Miami Trace.
After that, the Panthers scored 18 unanswered points to take a 2-0 lead.
“Her serve kept them out of rhythm,” Mace said. “It wasn’t that her serves were aces, but she was serving tough enough that it was making them scramble a little bit. It was pulling their setter way off of the net. That’s huge and that’s what you’re trying to achieve when you’re serving.”
Hillsboro regrouped in the third set and pushed the Panthers.
The match was tied at 17 and at 18 and again at 20 and 21.
Hillsboro briefly led 19-18 and 22-21.
“Credit to Hillsboro,” Mace said. “We came out pretty strong in the first two sets and they didn’t pack it in. They kept fighting. I think in that third set they finally relaxed and started playing their volleyball.”
The win put Miami Trace’s record at 18-1 overall, 9-0 in the FAC.
Hillsboro fell to 6-3 in the FAC, 11-5 overall.
Hillsboro lost to North Adams Wednesday and finished FAC play with a three-set win over McClain Thursday night. The Indians tied for second place in the FAC with Chillicothe, both going 7-3.
