SEYMOUR — In the first of what could be two meetings in three days between Hauser and Trinity Lutheran, the Jets claimed a 25-12, 25-11, 28-26 win Thursday night.
Jets coach Jeff Case said he liked the way his team started the match. Bre Metz’s second kill gave them a 3-0 lead.
After the Cougars made it 3-2, Tannyr Davis had two kills and a block, and Alana Owen served an ace to spark the Hauser to an 8-3 lead.
“We were looking for a quick start,” Case said. “We knew the passing was going to be a key to running our offense.”
Back-to-back aces by Metz gave the Jets (17-2) a 13-5 lead, and later in the second they scored four straight points with blocks by Davis and Madie Sherman, giving Hauser a 17-7 lead.
The second set was tied six times, the last at 8-8 before Sydney Schoen had three straight kills to put the Jets on top 11-8. After Trinity closed the gap to 13-11, Hauser scored the final 12 points for the easy win.
The third set was close throughout with the Cougars’ biggest lead being 9-6, and the Jets’ largest lead being 19-15. The set was tied at 21, 24, 25 and at 26 before Hauser scored the final two points on a kill by Schoen and an ace by Metz.
“I felt like they stepped up their intensity,” Case said of Trinity’s play in the last two sets. “They really dug in defensively, so we got off to slower starts, and we weren’t putting the ball away. They are a real good team, a well-coached team. I’ve got a lot of respect for them. They’ve got a lot of good kids.”
Metz and Schoen topped the Jets with 14 and 12 kills, respectively, while Schoen had 11 digs. Owen recorded 32 assists, and Davis had four blocks. Hauser served 11 aces, with Schoen and Metz having four each.
The Jets will return to Trinity on Saturday for the Cougar Invitational. After Trinity plays Crothersville at 9 a.m., Hauser will play Jennings County. The consolation and championship games will follow.
