BATTLE FOR FIRST PLACE … Archbold freshman Molly Harris (above) registered eight kills and added 10 digs for the Bluestreaks.
PHOTOS BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
SERVICE GAME … Archbold’s Reagan Wendt hits a serve in Tuesday night’s showdown with Patrick Henry.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
ARCHBOLD (September 30, 2025) – After squeaking out the first set, the Patrick Henry Patriots solidly won the second and held off a resurgent Bluestreaks in the third to bring home the win Tuesday in Archbold.
The Bluestreaks started strong with four out of the first five points, including three kills by freshman Molly Harris, but the Patriots came roaring back with an eight-point run, including back-to-back-to-back kills and two aces by freshman Meyta Hieber, putting Patrick Henry up 9-4.
The teams continued to battle, with Patrick Henry maintaining the edge while Archbold did enough to stay in striking distance.
Only two kills were logged by either team, one by Harris and one by Bluestreak senior Lexi Ripke, on the way to 13-11.
A three-point Patriot run featuring a kill by sophomore Kynli Crossland was followed by a six-point run by Archbold featuring another kill by Harris, giving the home team a 17-16 lead.
Harris also picked up the only kill during a back-and-forth that drove the score up to 23-22. A pair of Bluestreak kills, by junior Kennedy Hurst and senior Miley Gericke, gave them the 24-23 lead, but a three-point Patriot run gave them a narrow 26-24 victory.
The second set started with a five-point Patriot run, which saw an ace by junior Kensey Weber and a kill by senior Carys Crossland.
Archbold fought back with kills by senior Autumn Benecke and Hurst, while junior Reagan Wendt scored a pair of consecutive aces as the score climbed to 11-9.
A four-point Patriot run was followed by the teams trading three single shots each, including two more Patrick Henry kills from senior Ada Christman.
A pair of Archbold points were followed by four for the Patriots. Each team put another two points on the board to bring the score to 24-16 before a Kynli Crossland kill put the set to bed, 25-16.
Play in the third set reverted to what was seen in the first, with the opponents keeping close, tying 12 times.
Standout scoring during the set came from kills by Christman (with four), along with Kynli Crossland, senior Riley Brent, and Hieber, as well as an ace from freshman Whitney Feehan for the Patriots and Gericke (with a kill and back-to-back aces), along with kills by Hurst and an ace by Ripke as the score climbed to 21-20.
Just when it seemed like the Bluestreaks were about to force a fourth set, the Patriots went on a five-point run, including another Feehan ace.
They were only derailed for a single point by a serve into the net before Kynli Crossland slammed in a final kill for a set score of 25-21 and a straight-set victory overall.
Patrick Henry d. Archbold 26-24, 25-16, 25-21
Patrick Henry (17-1, 6-0 NWOAL): Kynli Crossland: 26/30 hitting, 12 kills, 10 digs; Meyta Hieber – 21/21 hitting, 8 kills, 15/15 serving, 5 aces; Kensey Weber – 23 assists
Archbold (12-5, 5-1 NWOAL): Molly Harris – 22/29 hitting, 8 kills, 10 digs, 16/16 serve receive; Miley Gericke – 14/14 serving, 5 aces, 11 digs; Karly Kruse – 23 assists