It will be #3 seed Exeter-Milligan against top-seed BDS for the Crossroads Conference Volleyball Tournament championship Tuesday evening at the newly refurbished York City Auditorium. The teams punched their ticket to the finals with semifinal wins Monday night. The first match was a mild upset, as Exeter-Milligan defeated second seed and defending tournament champ Cross County in four sets, 25-23, 17-25, 25-17, and 27-25. Serving was the key to the match, as the Timberwolves recorded 14 service aces, while the Cougars committed 12 errors from the service line. Senior Cameran Jansky led Exeter-Milligan with 17 kills, while junior Bren Lemburg had 13 kills for Cross County.
In the nightcap, BDS knocked off Meridian in straight sets, 25-23, 25-22, and 25-7, defeating the Mustangs for the third time this season. After the tight first set, Meridian led most of the second set, before BDS turned on the heat late to win it. That took the wind out of the Mustang sails, as they could muster very little offense against the Lady Eagles in set three. A streak of 12 straight serves by Hannah Miller turned the final set into a rout. Senior Taylor Sliva had 7 kills for BDS, while twin sister Mariah added 6. Meridian was paced by sophomore Jaala Stewart’s 9 kills.
Tuesday’s schedule includes two best-of-three consolations with Shelby-Rising City taking on Giltner at 4pm, and Nebraska Lutheran playing East Butler at 5pm. The third place match with Cross County and Meridian is at 6pm, and the championship match between BDS and Exeter-Milligan takes place at 7:30. Each game is on 104.9 Max Country, and streaming live on Striv TV (striv.tv/crc).
