Columbus North volleyball coach Caitie Greiner said her players were able to use the excitement of hosting their first home game of the season against Perry Meridian to focus and execute the team’s game plan Tuesday night.
The Bull Dogs didn’t drop a set, beating the Falcons 25-16, 30-28, 25-22 for the 3-0 Conference Indiana East Division victory.
North jumped out to an early 15-9 lead in the second set and never looked back, but the final two sets were not that easy. Perry Meridian scored seven consecutive points to take a 18-14 lead in the second set before the Bull Dogs fought back for the win.
The Falcons (1-2, 0-1) were just one point away from sealing the set with a 24-22 advantage when North scored three points in a row to take the lead.
“We put the girls in those types of situations in practice,” Greiner said. “The fact that they are able to play level and not get frazzled by it just shows their maturity on the court and what we’ve been working on in practice.”
The Bull Dogs (3-0, 1-0) found themselves in another dogfight late in the third set. The Falcons strung together five straight points to take a 15-13 lead and stayed out in front until North scored three consecutive points of its own to go up 22-20. The Bull Dogs scored three of the last five points to win the match.
Maddy Sebahar led North with 24 digs and four aces. Agustina Fainguersch recorded a team-high 10 kills and the second most digs with 14. Emma Tynan pounded eight kills, while Katie McAninch added seven and Gabby Genth and Lauryn James each had six.
Lily Meyercord tallied 29 assists, and Genth led the team in blocks with four. Fainguersch also had two blocks. Meyercord and Carley Finke each notched nine digs.
The Bull Dogs have started the season with a three-game winning streak, but Greiner said there is still room for improvement in every category. They visit unbeaten Roncalli on Thursday.
“To say that we’re complacent would just be silly at this point in our season,” Greiner said. “There is always room in every area and I don’t expect us to plateau anytime soon.”
