Looking to extend its winning streak to seven Tuesday night, the Columbus North volleyball team ran into undefeated Conference Indiana East Division foe Franklin Central.
The Bull Dogs put forth a strong effort but were unable to take down the Flashes, falling 25-19, 25-23, 25-20.
The first set was a back and forth battle. North (8-4, 1-2) found itself tied with Franklin Central at 16-16. The Flashes found their rhythm shortly after and went on the win a competitive first set 25-19.
Following a first set loss, the Bull Dogs held an 11-9 lead to begin the second set. Up two, North surrendered 11 straight points to the Flashes to find themselves trailing 20-11.
Led by a defensive charge the North went on a 12-4 run of its own to cut the lead to 24-23. The Bull Dogs were unable to put together a full comeback, however, as Franklin Central scored the following point taking the set.
The third set played out much like the entire match had to that point. North kept the set close early, with the score tied at 10. The Flashes found life in their offense, going on an 8-1 run to pull away.
“We were in the right spots tonight (defensively),” North coach Caitie Greiner said. “We just weren’t able to get their balls up from their outsides. And on our end, offensively in key moments, we just weren’t able to terminate when we needed to. It’s a good lesson learned, and it’s a good way to see what we still need to work on to beat competitive teams moving forward.”
The Bull Dogs faced a setback in warmups when senior Imani Guy suffered a minor shoulder injury that hampered her throughout the night.
“She wasn’t able to swing as hard as she could tonight,” Greiner said. “She was still very effective tipping the ball to our outsides, but having that element out of our offense kind of put a glitch in what we were trying to do offensively tonight.”
Even while facing a setback, Guy was able to lead the Bull Dogs with eight kills and four blocks. Mady Johnson dished out 15 assists, Mackenzie Rooks had 12 digs and Hannah Weaver served two aces.
