VASJ and Beachwood entered their Division V first-round match with similar identities. Both featured underclassmen and had parts of the game to clean up. The Vikings had an extra piece to the puzzle: A vocal leader in Liz Dunmire. With her guidance on the floor, VASJ completed the sweep and advanced to a district semifinal. They will face Chippewa at 5 p.m., Oct. 22 at a site to be determined. VASJ controlled most of the first set and took the opening point. Neither side found an edge early in the second set. Rather than call a timeout, VASJ coach Shayla Lang let the team work through the challenge. The players responded, creating a seven-point gap and forcing a Beachwood timeout. “I wanted to make sure that we were focusing on clean offense,” Lang said. “We’re scrappy, we were getting the ball up but we have to really focus on efficiency as well. Sometimes it’s good to make them work through rather than bail them out with a timeout and with the postseason I want them to be mentally tough.” Out of the break, the Vikings only allowed two more points in the frame and had a commanding 2-0 lead. That carried into the third set. Liz Dunmire carried the torch for the Vikings in the frame. She was responsible for seven of their first 15 points and led the team with 16 kills. “After the second set, we got in the huddle and talked about what we needed to fix,” Dunmire said. “The score got a lot closer than we wanted it to be and we told ourselves we need to lock in, this is the playoffs and we need to act like we’re ready for it.” Her sister Sydney was second with six kills. Liz Dunmire also made a big impact at the service line. She and Lauren Bell had five aces each. “Every practice we do at least 10 serve ’em, run ’em downs,” Dunmire said. “That helps us lock in and get our serves aggressive and also in. And we’re not allowed to serve to the six. That’s their best defender and they have extra help there.” VASJ held Beachwood to six points in the third set. The Vikings still have growing pains as a young team and Lang knows those can pop up in a postseason run. But having a voice on the court to help limit those errors helps. As a junior, Liz Dunmire has already become comfortable with her role as the leader for the team. “She’s really vocal and likes to move around,” Lang said. “One thing about Liz is that no matter what, she’s a finisher. She’s going to find a way to get the ball over, get us where we need to be, side out and all the above. It might not always be clean or flashy but we all know she’s a constant.” The Bison’s season ended, but it’s one they can grow from. A 10-10 regular season in a conference filled with teams that have regional aspirations provided a lot of learning experiences. Coach Shaneice James said the team will be better next season because of the challenge. The Bison had one senior and seven sophomores. “Overall, they’re young but they are getting that experience,” James said. “It comes in games but they get to work together more. They’ve been playing together since eighth grade. Each year builds confidence in each other and within us. They can learn and really mesh well.” Sophomore Casie Baker led the Bison with six kills, including four in the first set.