By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – When Bedford North Lawrence is in trouble, when the points are crucial, the ball is going to the left side of the offense, to the front row. That’s where Sammie Gratzer lurks. She’s a Killer Queen, at anytime an invitation the Stars can’t decline.
Gratzer was targeted in key situations, and she responded with power points as the Stars conquered Edgewood in four sets on Monday night. BNL bounced back from a dismal second set to record a 25-23, 13-25, 25-23, 25-22 win over the Mustangs. Gratzer blasted 20 kills as the Stars remained unbeaten after six matches.
How about that. Who would have predicted a 6-0 start? “We’re not mad about it, I know that,” first-year coach Aaron Wagoner said. It’s a mad, mad world indeed, as BNL has suddenly discovered how to win.
This triumph wasn’t a beauty pageant. That second set was an ugly dog contest. In the other sets, BNL had spurts of greatness to build leads, squandered them, then demanded Gratzer save them. She did, producing clutch points at the net in each of the three sets BNL won.
‘I just knew I had to put it away if we wanted to win,” Gratzer said. “So I was ready.’
In the opening set, Sara Williams served 8 consecutive points as the Stars rushed to an 18-11 advantage. That was wasted quite quickly, as Edgewood (2-2) scrambled back in front at 23-22 on a net tip by Bella May and kill by Makinzi Farmer. The SOS went out, and Gratzer smashed back-to-back kills to close the set.
Then came the stinker set. Edgewood roared to a 12-4 lead and never let up. BNL looked out of sync.
“We saw a lot of balls just drop, just right between two players,” Wagoner said. “That just can’t happen. Somebody has to step up, take leadership and say ‘I got it.’ Somebody has to go for it. You can’t have that at the varsity level. It looks terrible, and it puts you in a bad position.”
“We just didn’t play well,” Gratzer said. “I knew we would turn it around. Our attitudes changed. We were just lazy. We had to put in effort.”
The Stars responded with their best burst in the third set, rushing to a 13-5 lead. Gratzer kills made it 15-8 and 17-12, then Edgewood closed within 22-20 before two Gratzer blasts off the net blockers cancelled that comeback.
In the fourth set, BNL opened a 4-0 advantage, then settled into a back-and-forth battle. After a May service ace got the Mustangs to 22-21, Gratzer pounded two kills and Williams authored a final ace for the match point.
“If we can keep their attitudes and spirits up, they’re resilient,” Wagoner said. “They can bounce back.”
Trinidy Bailey had 6 kills, Zoey Shelton and Isabella Root added 4 kills each, and Williams totaled 4 digs and 3 aces. And when the supporting cast needed help, Gratzer answered.
“She’s the hammer,” Wagoner said. “I still don’t think she’s as effective as she could be, she could scare some people. But she is our rock. When we’re in a tight spot, she’s it. She puts it away.”
BNL will visit Bloomfield on Tuesday.
