If Tuesday night’s volleyball matchup between Columbus East and Class 4A No. 8 Bloomington South was any indication, a potential rematch in a couple weeks in the sectional could be just as thrilling.
The Olympians took control early, and despite dropping a set, East came away with a 25-18, 24-26, 25-23, 25-21 victory.
“It’s always good to win anyway you can, but against them, it was extra special tonight,” East coach Ellyn McIntosh said. “It’s a sectional opponent, so it’s always good to see how we match up against them, and kind of how we might fare the next time we see them, but any win is a good win, and tonight was pretty special.”
It was a game of runs in the first set. The Olympians (10-4) jumped out of the gate with a fast start and went ahead 9-1, but the Panthers weren’t going to go away quietly by any means. Bloomington South then took control to come back in the match to cut the lead to 11-9.
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East then scored five of the next six points to lead 16-10, but the Panthers came back with three straight points to make it 16-13. The Olympians scored the next four points to extend the lead to 20-13. That was enough cushion for East to close out the set.
The second set was much closer. After Bloomington South led 9-6, the Olympians came back to tie the set at 13-13. The teams traded points most of the way for the rest of the set, with neither team having more than a two-point advantage until the Panthers scored three straight points to make it 23-21 to force an East timeout. Following the timeout, the Olympians scored three of the next four points to tie the set at 24-24, but Bloomington South scored the next two points to take the set.
The third set was tied 6-6, but then East jumped out to a 12-7 advantage after scoring six of the next seven points. The Panthers eventually came back to tie it at 15-15 and take the lead at 17-15. After the Olympians tied it at 17-17, it was another back-and-forth battle with both teams trading points not gaining more than a two point lead until it was a 23-21 East lead that forced a Bloomington South timeout. The Olympians held on to claim the set to take the lead in the match 2-1.
Just like in the previous sets, another battle ensued in the fourth, with both teams fighting back-and-forth once again. Neither team possessed more than a two point lead until East scored three straight points to lead 20-17 that forced a Panther timeout. The Olympians momentum didn’t slow down any, and they led 23-19 and eventually closed out the match.
“They showed a lot of focus. Our energy was a little bit lacking tonight, but I think that was because they were very focused on our scouting report and what they had to do,” McIntosh said. “We talked a lot about Bloomington South before we played them, and I think they were just focused on making those changes they we were talking about and following that report.”
East’s Reece Whitehead recorded 21 digs and 10 kills, Gabby Dean finished with six kills, five aces and four blocks, Saige Stahl had seven kills and three blocks and Libby Dippold added seven kills and five blocks.
Also for the Olympians, Regann Jessee had six blocks and five kills, Katy Jordan notched 29 assists, Cadence Gilley finished with 15 digs and Kenzie Foster added eight digs.
