(Red Oak) The Red Oak Tigers are moving on to the Class 3A Regional Final after sweeping Atlantic in three sets — 25-13, 25-13, 25-12 — on their home court Thursday night.
Tigers Head Coach Angie Montgomery said the team focused on limiting the shot attempts of Atlantic freshman Reese Harlan.
Red Oak was sharp at the net, recording 52 kills on 106 attempts and adding 63 digs defensively. Outside hitters Jocelyn O’Neil and Keely Jones led the offensive attack, while setter Emily Sebeniecher contributed with several key kills of her own.
The Tigers jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the opening set. Atlantic managed an early rally, but Red Oak closed out the frame with three straight points. The Trojans came out strong in the second set, taking a 2-0 lead, but the Tigers responded after falling behind 7-5, outscoring Atlantic 20-6 the rest of the way. Red Oak carried that momentum into the final set, building a big lead to finish the match convincingly.
Atlantic advanced to the semifinal with a 3-1 win over Shenandoah on Tuesday and finishes its season at 18-19, a notable improvement from last year.
With the victory, Red Oak (37-2) moves on to host Clarinda (26-11) in the Regional Final on Tuesday night. The Cardinals earned their spot with a 3-1 win over Creston in their semifinal matchup on Thursday.
