Krea Martin
Columbus East looked to gain momentum after tying Tuesday’s match, but just as the momentum picked up, it quickly went away.
Bloomington North made a statement and claimed the third and fourth sets to win the match over the Olympians 25-23, 24-26, 25-14, 25-19 in East’s volleyball season opener.
“When you scrimmage during practice, it is not the same, and this showed us where we’re strong and points that we need to improve on,” East coach Alison Eagleman said. “Overall, I thought they did great tonight and definitely want that momentum shift to keep going and going.”
The Olympians looked to be in control of the first set leading 21-16, but the Cougars seized control. Bloomington North scored seven straight points to take the lead and set away.
The shoe was on the other foot in the second set with the Cougars leading 24-20. East evened the score when it scored six straight point to tie the match at one set apiece.
Bloomington North snuffed the Olympian momentum by starting out the third set 7-1, and later in the set, scored six straight points to put away the set.
In a closer fourth set, East trailed only 16-15, but the Cougars put the game away with a 7-1 run.
Krea Martin finished with 18 digs and two aces, Addy Dean had seven kills and 10 blocks, and Lilah Klei added 14 blocks for the Olympians.
Also for East, Izzy Rice and Anika Jenkins each had six kills. Kenlee Gault recorded 12 assists, and Payten Osborn added nine assists.
“This group of girls are hard workers. You can tell they want to win, and it’s getting the correct puzzle pieces in the right place. We just weren’t quite there tonight,” Eagleman said. “This showed what we need to work on, and the girls have so much heart. I know there were a few that were a little emotional, and it’s only the first game. This is an amazing group, and I’m so excited for what this season is going to turn into.”
