Kenze Bostic
HOPE — Trailing two-sets-to-none against Class A No. 10 Indianapolis Lutheran Thursday night, Hauser was in danger of being swept.
But the Jets came to life. They dominated the third set, then pulled out close wins in the fourth and fifth to rally for a 24-26, 19-25, 25-12, 25-21, 15-13 victory.
“I was just hoping that we’d get to show some kind of life,” Hauser coach Jeff Case said. “When we started playing and making plays and making them score their own points instead of scoring points for them, it helped out a lot.”
The Jets (4-5) overcame double-digit serving errors, most of which came in the first two sets.
“We were just really communicating and working on the little things,” senior Kenze Bostic said. “We were fundamentally strong as a team and persevering and really being behind each other when we make mistakes and when we succeed,” Bostic said.
The seeds of the comeback may have been planted late in the second set. Trailing 21-13, Hauser scored five in a row, the last four with senior Kayden Miller at the service line. The Jets didn’t get over the hump in that set, but it carried them into the third.
“I think one of the biggest things for us is, when we get on a serve run, everyone gets super hyped, especially the girls with super-aggressive hard serves or the girls that don’t always get to serve,” Miller said. “I think Abby Blair really came in, and she gave us a lot of serves that we really needed at that last moment.”
Kayden Miller
Hauser did not trail in either the third or fourth sets. The Jets jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the fifth, but the Saints came back to take a 10-7 lead.
Hauser tied it with Gracie Blair at the service line, then fell behind 13-10. The Jets then scored five consecutive points, the last four with Haylin Campbell serving. Match point came on a block-kill from Aniston Bostic and Norah Berkenstock.
“I think the last three sets, we really came together as a team, and we all trusted each other a lot more than the first two sets,” Miller said. “We had a lot less unforced errors, and I think just working together and trusting our temmates and believing that we could persevere and fight through was the biggest thing.”
Kenzie Bostic pounded 15 kills, Miller recorded 24 assists, Aniston Bostic had six blocks, Gracie Blair notched 19 digs and Abby Blair served two aces to lead Hauser.
Also for the Jets, Aniston Bostic tallied 13 kills, Paige McDaniel added 10 kills and three blocks and Kenze Bostic had one block and 13 digs. Maley Jordan contributed three assists, Gracie Blair had two assists and one ace and Mattie Foster added 11 digs.
“It’s really just kind of win in our back pocket,” Kenze Bostic said. “We continue to show out, and we continue to have games that we aren’t expected to win and just do well in. It’s a confidence boost.”
“I’m really pleased,” Case added. “It would have been real easy down like we were just to check out emotionally and roll over and lose in three, so I’m really proud of the team for sticking in there and continuing to work hard. It was a really exciting match. Hopefully, this will be a turning point in the season for us.”
