Hauser’s Mattie Foster (3) digs out a serve as Hauser’s Charleston Gelfius (5) looks on during a match against Shelbyville Thursday at Hauser High School.
Tommy Walker | For The Republic
HOPE — Hauser volleyball dominated the match early, but the Jets couldn’t quite close it out in straight sets.
After dropping the third set, Hauser came back to capture the fourth set to claim a 25-13, 25-14, 22-25, 25-22 victory over Shelbyville Thursday night.
“We talked how we’re not going to let the situation dictate our attitude. Those first two sets, it was all good, and then we just let up a little bit, and then things tend to get tight,” Hauser coach Jeff Case said. “We were right there, but got tight and made some unforced errors you don’t want to have. I reminded them that we’re in good position. All we got to do is take of business and make sure we stay positive and making sure we’re working hard. I’m happy with how we responded, especially down the stretch.”
The Jets (7-6) had a 5-4 lead in the first set, then extended the lead to 17-8 to secure the first set. In the second set, with the score 3-3, Hauser ballooned the lead to 20-6. The Jets eventually closed out the set to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
In the third set, the Golden Bears went out to an 11-6 lead. Hauser got to within 14-13, but that would be as close as it would get as Shelbyville scored the next three points to make it 17-13. That small cushion was enough for the Golden Bears to force a fourth set.
In the fourth set, it was a back-and-forth battle with the teams trading points early. The Jets’ biggest lead of the set came at 15-10. However, Shelbyville didn’t go away as they came back to take the lead 18-17. With the score tied at 21-21, Hauser made the final push to score four of the next five points to claim the match.
“Whenever the third set was over, and we had the two minutes to talk to the coaches, they told us that we just needed to stay focused and not mess around,” Hauser junior Aniston Bostic said. “As the team gets back on the court, we’re all talking to each other and cheering each other up and getting ready to play.”
Bostic finished with 13 kills, four aces and four blocks for the Jets. Kenze Bostic had 11 kills, three aces, three assists and one block. Haylin Campbell finished with 10 digs, four aces and two assists.
Also for Hauser, Kayden Miller totaled 21 assists, Paige McDaniel had three blocks, Norah Berkenstock pounded seven kills, Gracie Blair notched 10 digs and Mattie Foster added four digs.
