Sectional champs The Lady Oracle Volleyball Team won the first sectional title in the school’s history. They defeated Fountain Central in three sets to claim the championship. Team members pictured are (l-r): First Row - Brittany Nelson, Danielle Burge, Haley Lynde, Samantha Mayhew. Second Row - Ashley Gray, Kara Laxson, Chanler Norman, Stefany Mayhew, Brittani Rhodes. Third Row - Jordayn Jargstorf, Jordyn Bieghler, Carrington Wallace, Caitlin Schock, and Justine Alderman. Fourth Row -Assistant Coaches Ashley Brodar and Dave Gilbert, Head Coach Suzanne Hughes. Photo by Jana Rouhier Photography Delphi Lady Oracles won their first-ever Volleyball Sectional championship last weekend at Fountain Central.

They began their road to victory on Thursday when they beat the host team, Fountain Central, in three sets, 25-10, 25-17, 25-10.

Coming into the sectional the Oracle team was playing some of its best volleyball of the season. “All three teams - freshman, junior varsity and varsity - have been working extremely hard the past two years,” said Coach Suzanne Hughes. “The girls have been in the weight room, playing league volleyball in the summer, in the gym three days a week throughout the summer, and going to various camps on their own and as a team. Working this hard for two years, being in shape and working as a team has paid off. The coaching staff really pushes the girls to play to their potential and to do their best.”

The team knew it was going to have to bring its “A” game on Saturday morning to play the Clinton Central Lady Bulldogs. They started out the first set on fire and dominated 25-14. The Bulldogs could not stop the Lady Oracles offense. The Oracles came out aggressive in the second set, but the Bulldogs put up a fight and the set went back-and-forth, point-forpoint until the Oracles pulled ahead and won 25-21. The Delphi team knew it could pull out a victory now. The girls believed in themselves and their teammates. But the Bulldogs were not ready to give up. They proved that in the third set by coming out and out-hustling the Oracles with a score of 19-25. That was enough to spark the senior leaders of the Delphi team to take over and lead the team to a hard-fought 26-24 win in the fourth set and send them to the sectional title match.

Stats for the Oracles were: Brittany Nelson - 34 kills, 21 digs, 3 aces, 2 blocks; Danni Burge – 20 digs, 1 kill; Haley Lynde – 2 kills, 15 digs, 1 block; Sami Mayhew 5 kills, 1 dig; Jordyn Bieghler – 6 digs, 1 ace; Jordayn Jargstorf – 13 kills, 3 blocks; Caitlin Schock – 54 assists, 10 digs; and Carrington Wallace – 3 kills, 5 digs, 3 blocks.

The final match put the Seeger Patriots against the Lady Oracles. Delphi had not seen Seeger in regular season.

The team started out slow but picked up the intensity and won Delphi Community High School’s first volleyball sectional title in 3 sets, 25-22, 25-19, 25-19, and in less than one hour.

Stats for Delphi were: Burge – 8 digs, 3 aces; Nelson – 15 kills, 4 aces, 8 digs; Mayhew - 7 kills; Lynde – 3 digs, 2 kills, 1 block; Bieghler – 4 digs; Jargstorf – 5 kills, 1 block; Schock – 26 assists, 2 digs; and Wallace – 6 kills, 3 digs, 3 blocks.

The Oracles will travel to Bluffton Saturday to take on Wayne Bishop Luers at 12:30 p.m. in regional play.