From left, Marietta's Ari Buckley, Taylor Karcher, Tori Dawson and Anna RItter are all smiles following match point of the Tigers' Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Class 5A sweep of Morgantown on Saturday morning inside the ECO Center at Ohio University Eastern. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

ST. CLAIRSVILLE – Marietta’s Ari Buckley, who got a little help from her friends, put down a match-high 15 kills here Saturday morning during the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Class 5A championship match inside The ECO Center at Ohio University Eastern as the third-seeded Tigers swept No. 1 Morgantown 25-17, 25-21 and 25-15.

Taylor Karcher produced 29 assists and 14 digs for the now 20-2 Tigers of head coach Ron Kidder, who also had contributions throughout the lineup thanks to libero Reagan Karcher (six digs), Haley Wilkinson (three aces, three assists, four kills, six digs), Anna Ritter (seven kills, two blocks, 10 digs), Emma Middleton (seven kills, two assists, 10 digs) and Tori Dawson (three aces, four kills, four digs).

“What an effort,” said coach Kidder, whose program won their first OVAC title having lost two years ago in the championship match to the Mohigans. “The girls have been working hard. They lost earlier in the season to them. Nice game. We worked on a few things and just came in here and said we got to give it all we got.

“It’s a game. Have fun and these kids have never lost that. They are hungry. They are hungry and want one championship after the other. They are just like lions. They just want to be the beast and when they are playing they are fun to watch.”

The Tigers, who have the No. 1 seed in the district tournament and will play Monday’s No. 4 Athens/No. 5 Unioto victor at 7 p.m. Thursday inside Sutton Gymnasium, never trailed in the first set.

Marietta's Haley Wilkinson, who had three aces, three assists, four kills, a block and six digs, makes a pass as teammate Emma Middleton looks on during the Tigers' Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Class 5A sweep of Morgantown on Saturday morning inside the ECO Center at Ohio University Eastern. (Photo by Jay . Bennett)

Wilkinson served the Tigers to an 8-2 cushion thanks to five service tallies, which included an ace, as Buckley got going early with a trio of kills.

“Our passing and serving was way better than the last time we played them,” admitted Buckley, who added an ace, two blocks and nine digs. “Our defense was really good today and we wouldn’t be able to do that without practicing and working hard, so our hard work paid off.

“I feel like our bond, we have a really good bond. We’re all literal best friends. There’s no problem whatsoever between us and we play well and just have chemistry.”

Morgantown first-year head coach Abigail Wolfe, who was playing without the services of first team all-state senior setter Audrey Buck, called timeout after a Wilkinson smash made it 15-7.

“It’s honestly crazy,” said Wilkinson, who transferred from Wood County Christian, of winning the OVAC crown. “I think going from that atmosphere of a very small school then coming into this amazing group of seniors, and we just played our hearts out, out there.

Marietta's Ari Buckley puts down one of her match-high 15 kills as setter Taylor Karcher looks on during the Tigers' Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Class 5A sweep of Morgantown on Saturday morning inside the ECO Center at Ohio University Eastern. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

“We’re doing it for each other and we put so much work into the season for every ball and just our mentality, I think we showed it on the court out there that we really wanted it, and we got it.”

A bad serve-receive on set point allowed Middleton to register an easy downed spike in the best-of-five match.

“The last three weeks we’ve been dealing with some injuries,” said coach Wolfe, who received eight kills from Paige Brink, two aces apiece by Abby Paulsen and Madison Wisman along with four kills from Giatta Iquinto as well as nine assists each from Izzy Mara and Dori Heiskell. “Lots of different rotations and lots of different things happening.

“The kids are handling it the best they can. It’s a completely different rotation that we ran today. We haven’t run a 6-2 all year. We’ve been running a 5-1 all year. Last night we had to switch everything up against North Allegheny (in the third set when Buck was injured) and here we are. It was a quick turnaround.”

Wisman served the Mohigans to a 3-0 cushion to open set two, but the Tigers pushed ahead 10-7 following a Dawson ace.

Although an ace from Middleton had the Tigers ahead 13-11, Brink put one to the floor and it was 14-13 Morgantown after back-to-back Wisman aces.

An ace from Karcher put the orange and black ahead 15-14, but coach Kidder’s program didn’t take the lead for good until 21-20 thanks to a Mohigan service error.

Ritter’s tip kill and then an attack error by the Mohigans with Buckley serving put the Tigers a set away from the title.

With set three even at seven, Marietta went ahead for good on a Morgantown service error as Buckley followed that with an ace. Middleton then served for six straight points, which included a Ritter block of Paulsen, as the Tigers had the No. 1 seed doubled up at 16-8.

Buckley’s block with Dawson serving gave Marietta match point.

“One match at a time and keep our nerves at bay and continue to go forward,” Buckley said of the keys to the rest of the campaign.

Coach Kidder added “just a lot of tough kids at every position. Morgantown is a tough team. We come to play. Now we got to get refocused for the tournament.”

Morgantown still has two weeks before entering postseason play, but senior night is currently up in the air.

“It’s to be determined,” said coach Wolfe. “Our senior night was supposed to be Tuesday, but Park(ersburg) South can’t get a bus.

“We’re trying to figure out a new plan. Don’t count us out. We got a big bench and we’ve dealt with these things before.”