The way things went the first two sets Thursday night, Columbus East was well on its way to a first-round victory.
But midway through the third set, East Central took control. The Trojans rallied to win that set, then took the final two to claim a 21-25, 19-25, 25-19, 25-15, 15-11 win in the opening round of the Bloomington South Sectional.
“They didn’t make as many unforced errors, and we did,” East coach Stacie Pagnard said. “It was a great defensive battle by both sides. I think it was the unforced errors at crucial points that got the best of us.”
The Olympians trailed 19-18 in the first set before coming back. They fell behind 10-3 and 16-9 in the second set before earning a sideout, and Allison Mack served 11 consecutive points to put Columbus East in command.
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The Olympians led 13-12 in the third set before the Trojans (31-2) ran off eight points in a row. East Central finished off that set, then led from start to finish in the fourth to even the match at 2-2.
Columbus East led 2-1 and 3-2 in the fifth set and were tied with the Trojans at 5-5 before East Central scored four in a row to open a 9-5 lead. The Olympians got back to within 10-9, 11-10 and 12-11 before the Trojans scored three in a row to take the match.
Madyson Foster led Columbus East with 50 assists and an ace. Allison Mack pounded 17 kills, Rilee Jessee had two blocks, Keeleigh Kikendall notched 44 digs and Cadence Gilley served an ace.
Jessee also pounded 15 kills, and Reece Whitehead added nine kills. Mack tallied 25 digs, and Foster and Ashlyn Bergman each had 22 digs.
“Our defensive numbers were incredible, but it was a battle,” Pagnard said. “It was a shame that somebody had to lose that game because it was a well-played game by both teams.”
East Central advances to face Columbus North in the semifinals at 11 a.m. Saturday. The championship match will be at 7 p.m. Saturday.
The Olympians finish the season 10-21.
“I would definitely remember the battle and the fight,” Pagnard said. “The practices were incredible, the intensity and the competitiveness that we has amongst our teammates and the grit and how we got better every week is what I’ll remember the most.”
