In a thrilling five set match Tuesday night, Columbus North improved to 4-1 by defeating Conference Indiana foe Bloomington North 13-25, 25-17, 22-25, 25-21, 15-12.
After the Cougars soundly handled the Bull Dogs in the first set, Columbus North coach Caitie Greiner took some time before the second set to address her team’s lapse in energy.
“The girls didn’t necessarily come out with the same intensity that Bloomington North did,” Greiner said. “They were able to capitalize and control the entire game, which we addressed afterwards between the first and second set.”
The Bull Dogs would go on to win the second set in convincing fashion, but drop a close third in which they crawled back from an eight-point deficit.
The fourth set would turn out to be the most intense of the night. Both teams traded points early on until Bloomington North clawed ahead, taking a commanding 15-9 lead. After a quick timeout by Columbus North, the Bull Dogs strung together an 11-4 run to take a 20-19 lead. An emphatic kill from sophomore Emma Tynan finished off the come-from-behind set victory.
“There was a lot of information given throughout the entire match, and the girls did a great job of adjusting throughout,” Greiner said. “Bloomington North is a good team, and it’s hard to beat them when their scrappy. I think my girls did a very good job of adjusting and finding the open spots on the court as we were playing.”
The Bull Dogs would go on to carry that momentum into the deciding fifth set. Jumping out to a quick 4-1 lead, they kept their poise throughout the fifth set hanging on and closing out the Cougars 15-12.
Columbus North were led on the night by Augsustina Fainguersch’s 19 kills, Maddy Sebahar’s 31 digs and Lil Meyercord’s 31 assists. Sophie Mckinney served three aces, while Lauryn James contributed five blocks.
“It definitely shows how mentally tough our team is,” said Meyercord of her teams thrilling victory. “It just gives us that confidence and that boost we need to keep pushing further into the season.”
