Gabby Dean
Columbus East received a big boost Thursday night with the return of 6-foot-4 middle hitter Gabby Dean to the lineup, but even that wasn’t enough to overcome powerful Providence.
The Olympians stayed with the Class 3A No. 2 Pioneers for the better part of all three sets, but Providence held firm at the end of each for a 25-20, 25-19, 25-21 victory.
“They’re just a solid team,” East coach Ellyn McIntosh said. “If they’re in system, they’re pretty hard to stop, no matter who’s in the front row. Gabby does a good job intimidating people, but we should be able to hang with them, no matter who’s in there.”
The Olympians (7-7) led 16-15 in the first set and were tied 17-17 in the second set before the Pioneers pulled away at the end of those sets. East led 19-18 in the third set and were tied at 21 before Providence scored the final four points to put it away.
Maddie Cline pounded seven kills, Erin Williams recorded 20 assists, Dean had one solo and three assist blocks, Kenzie Foster notched 12 digs and Caroline Frost served two aces to lead the Olympians.
Also for East, Frost tallied six kills, and Dean and Jenna Guse each added four kills. Williams had nine digs, Chloe Gilley contributed seven digs and Cline, Foster and Guse all served one ace.
“We did not play very well, but they are a very good team,” McIntosh said. “They made us look kind of bad. I thought we would be a little bit more competitive with them having Gabby back, but still missing Kimberly (Carothers) kind of hurt us.”
