By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Scottsburg’s Kailyn Gibson, startled by the unseen enemy on the court, shrieked a little and stomped a lot, eradicating a wasp that had landed on the floor. Poor wasp, his stinger got squashed and his wings crumpled during an unceremonious demise.
Bedford North Lawrence suffered the same fate. No sting, no zing, no wings to escape a defeat.
Scottsburg, powered by service runs and Haiden Means’ mean hitting on the outside, stepped on the Stars in the fifth set to finish off a marathon victory on Tuesday night. The Warriorettes (7-5) carved out a 25-15,16-25, 25-23, 20-25, 15-10 win as BNL suffered back-to-back losses for the first time this season.
BNL (7-2) was in a constant state of playing from behind. The only real lead the Stars enjoyed was a 6-3 advantage in the fifth set, and that lasted about as long as the vespula vulgaris under Gibson’s sneaker. BNL lacked sustained emotional energy and finally went flat in the latter stages of the final set.
The Stars had moments. Sammie Gratzer and Jenna Allen produced a turning-point run in the second set, Trinidy Bailey had big points in the fourth. But getting caught flat-footed, struggling to anticipate and communicate, created problems that Scottsburg sensed and attacked.
“Trying to fabricate it, when you don’t know how to do that, is hard,” BNL coach Aaron Wagoner said. “We can’t create excitement for them, it has to be in them. That’s a challenge. There’s three things we can control, which is effort, attitude and communication. You can control it, but sometimes it’s hard. When you’re down, it’s hard to pick yourself up.”
BNL was down from the beginning. The Warriorettes exploded to a 9-1 lead in the opening set as Jaylee Carey controlled the service line, and that advantage was pushed to 15-3. The Stars were guilty of multiple receiving errors that set an ominous tone.
The Stars answered in the second set, scoring six straight points for a 19-12 lead. Gratzer had two aces and Jayden Allen had a slick push kill during that burst. But that momentum didn’t carry over into the third set. After falling back 16-11, BNL pulled even four times, the final at 23-23, but Scottsburg closed with a Chloe Mullins kill and Means ace to take the set.
“We knew BNL would come out fighting,” Scottsburg coach Allison Rademacher said. “I expected them to give us everything they’ve got.”
BNL had to battle back from a 16-11 deficit in the fourth set, and did so with a burst that included a Bailey kill and Isabella Root ace. Gratzer’s thunderous kill, Bailey’s winning blast on the opposite side, and Gratzer’s rip off a blocker at the net capped the set to force the fifth.
The Stars took the early edge with two Gratzer kills and two Sara Williams aces for the 6-3 surge. Scottsburg answered with a 9-2 run as Means mashed two kills and added a soft-touch push to an open spot. And it was appropriate that her kill was the final blow.
“She understands the game,” Rademacher said. “And she comes up clutch when we need her.”
Means finished with 21 kills and Mullins added 10.
“That’s a good team, with a really dominant hitter on one side,” Wagoner said. “Means could do about whatever she wanted. She’s so crafty. We battled like we did at Borden (a five-set win), just not quite the same outcome.”
Gratzer had 18 kills, Jenna Allen totaled 10 kills and 6 digs, and Williams added 6 digs.
The Stars will visit Floyd Central on Thursday.
