Columbus North players celebrate after clinching third set match point during a match against Southport in Memorial Gymnasium at Columbus North High School.
Tommy Walker | For The Republic
After winning the first two sets Monday night, Columbus North was just about to hand Southport the third set and try again for the clincher in a fourth.
Reese Edwards and her Bull Dog teammates weren’t thinking about a fourth set, however. They were intent on finishing the job in three.
So with North trailing 24-17, the Bull Dogs got a sideout. Edwards then served eight consecutive points to rally them to a victory in that third set and enable them to put the finishing touches on a 25-21, 25-20, 26-24 Conference Indiana victory.
“Basically, I just had to do like I do it in practice, just serve it over,” said Edwards, a sophomore setter. “I didn’t need to worry about it.”
Reese Edwards
North coach Jenna Ortega was preparing her speech for the break between the third and fourth sets.
“I honestly was,” Ortega said. “They get to a point where I just felt like they need to reset. I had already used my timeouts, but we had been working really hard on just coming together more on the court and not having to depend on coaches. The girls are really showing their leadership on the court. We’ve been talking about confidence, and once you get in this hole, you have to get out of it, and they did it tonight, so I am extremely proud.”
The Cardinals led 9-8 in the first set before the Bull Dogs (5-9, 1-1) went on an 8-1 run behind the serving of Emily Stair and Emma Burns to take the lead. The second set was tied at 10-10 before North took control.
The third set was a little different. After North led 2-1, Southport led 16-8, 20-12 and 23-15 before Edwards and the Bull Dogs began their comeback.
“I think we deserved it,” Edwards said. “We fought hard for it.”
Logan Branstetter pounded eight kills, Burns recorded 12 assists, Kennedy Horn had eight blocks, Stair notched 19 digs and Katelynn Mabis served five aces to lead the Bull Dogs.
Also for the North, Horn tallied four kills, and Edwards added seven assists and three aces. Dutro had seven blocks and Roselyn Venegas contributed 12 digs.
“Last year, we went five with them, so it was nice this year to come in and play hard and in that third set, we actually showed our true teamwork and came out of that and didn’t give up,” Ortega said. “I was so proud of them.”
