On a night in which the six Columbus North seniors were recognized for their contributions to the Bull Dog volleyball program on Senior Night, it was clear from the start that the home team planned to end the celebration with a victory.
North was dominant in dispatching visiting Bedford North Lawrence 25-7, 25-12, 25-15.
Fittingly, it was two seniors that led the way for the Bull Dogs (7-12) in first set. Jalynn Reardon got North off to a quick start, serving three straight points early in the set. That was followed by Lauren Opalka, who sparked the Bull Dogs to a 7-0 run from behind the service line to extend the lead from four points all the way to an 11-point cushion. Overall, the whole North team was not very hospitable to the visitors, easily winning the first set.
North coach Caitie Greiner was happy with the way her team served all night.
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“We came in with a focus on serving and service reception tonight. We wanted to be aggressive and consistent in both areas, and I thought we were pretty good throughout the match,” Greiner said.
The second set was just as effective for the Bull Dogs. This time, it was Sarah Bennett who used a variety of serves to baffle the visitors, sending everything from jump-serve lasers to short change-of-pace serves to keep the Stars (2-18) off balance. That, combined with strong hitting and solid defense from her teammates, catapulted North on a 12-0 run that extended its five-point lead to 17 points in route to another convincing victory in the second set.
The comfortable lead also allowed Greiner to move some players around to different positions to work on her team’s depth.
“We started with our original lineup, but we were able to move some people around tonight, and this is valuable for us. As we move forward, we have some tough games coming up, starting with (Columbus) East on Thursday, so we were able to work on our depth tonight, which helps us in the future,” Greiner said.
The third set proved to be more competitive. Bedford North Lawrence was able to grab the lead early in at 8-6. That two-point lead was the biggest lead the Stars would have not only in the set, but also in the entire match. The Bull Dogs stormed back with six-point run to take the lead and never looked back, pulling away for a 25-15 victory, completing the sweep for the Bull Dogs.
As if the script already was written, it was once again Opalka who finished off the third set and match, serving the final eight points for North. Opalka tore her ACL the third match of the season and had not played since. She is set to have surgery this morning.
“With this being our last game on this court as seniors, I wanted to finish out strongly and end on a positive note, and we were able to do that,” Opalka said.
North was led by Emma Tynan, who had four kills, while Bennett and Madison White each contributed three. Reardon found success in the back row, leading the Bull Dogs in digs with 10, followed by Sydney Cooper with nine.
Reagan Kane led North with 15 assists and was helped by Kate Whaley, who had five. Opalka finished with six aces.
