SHELBY – All eyes were on Navea Gauthier Wednesday, Nov. 6 as the Shelby senior took the floor for a district semifinals match against Mason County Central (MCC). Gauthier – now the MHSAA All-Time leader in career kills – helped lead her Tigers to a 3-0 sweep of the Spartans.
Whether you were looking on the court, or into the student section, Navea was prominent in the Shelby gymnasium. The Ohio State University commit put on a show while fans chanted her name and hoisted signs displaying her face.
Nothing could distract the Tigers from propelling themselves into a district finals appearance for a fourth consecutive year though. Shelby jumped all over MCC early, taking a 10-2 lead in the first set.
MCC continued to trail for the majority of that set, but a string of close calls on Shelby setter Audrey Horton quickly turned the tide in the Spartans’ favor. Horton was whistled for double contact on the ball multiple times in the first two sets.
“There was not (anything Horton did wrong.) The nation is going to a rule at the club level and the college level where they don’t even call that anymore,” Shelby Head Coach Tom Weirich said. “That’s as close as they’ve called that all season long. They called it on both sides, but I’d rather have the girls decide (games) rather than someone with a different colored shirt on, but the officials have a tough job.”
The Spartans turned those mishaps into a 22-22 tie with the Tigers, forcing them to take a timeout to regroup. That short reset is all Shelby needed to push out to a 25-23 lead.
Shelby took control from that point, never allowing MCC to sniff a sizable lead throughout the final two sets of the night. The Tigers took the first set 25-15 after gaining an 18-11 lead that the Spartans failed to answer.
In the third set, the teams were tied at 3-3 early before Shelby pulled in front. The Tigers built a 15-7 advantage and ran away with a 25-10 victory to advance them to the district finals.
Gauthier is now one win away from delivering on a promise she made to Weirich when he handed her a district champion medal in her freshman year (2021).
“Navea’s freshman year, when I handed her (a district champion) medal, she said ‘one of four, coach’.” Weirich said. “Her sophomore year she remembered and she told me two of four and then three of four last year. That’ll be a four-peat for her and Audrey, the two seniors. That’s on her radar for sure.”
“I like winning. Winning four – not a lot of teams do that and not a lot do it with the same coach,” Gauthier said. “It comes with a lot of pressure because I made that promise four years ago, but I’m excited. I think if we connect the dots tomorrow, we can do it.”
In order to get to the regional tournament, Shelby will need to defeat rival Hart in the district finals. That game is set to tip off at 5:30 p.m. tonight in Shelby.
