Ian Scholl
The Columbus East boys volleyball came out with a lot of energy and stole the first set against visiting Franklin Central Thursday night.
In the remaining three sets, it was all the Flashes.
The Olympians were outmatched in the final sets and were handed a 22-25, 25-15, 25-11, 25-22 loss at the Orange Pit.
“We lost to a very talented Franklin Central team. They’re a top-10 in the state. I’m not mad,” East coach Kailey Smith said. “We came out tonight, and our goal was to compete with them and steal the first set, and we did that. We gave them a run for their money in the fourth set. We did what we could do tonight, and overall, I’m proud of every single one of them that touched the floor.”
This was the third match in as many days for the Olympians (6-8). They came in to the contest as the underdogs, but they didn’t look like underdogs in the first set. They trailed 12-10, but then rallied for nine straight points and eventually took the set.
“With teams like that, they have been so good for so long,” Smith said. “I think that whenever a team does come out and shows that energy and has that momentum behind them, it sometimes takes team like that and throws them off their heels a little bit. I’m not taking anything away from Franklin Central. They are a very talented team, and we got outplayed tonight.”
Ian Scholl led East with 20 digs, five kills, a block and an ace. Alex Duncan finished with 20 assists, 16 digs, four kills and three aces. Grayson Watters had three kills, two digs and a block.
Also for East, Tyler Ernst had three kills, and Trevor Ernst served an ace. Alex Wenzler finished with two kills and a block. Justin Lopez had five kills and two blocks, and Jon Ruch added six digs.
