By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – If all good things come to an end, so do the bad ones. Fortunately.
Bedford North Lawrence has already gone through the peaks and valleys during this season of sensational streaks and startling slumps. The Stars won seven in a row, promptly lost six straight, and there was no middle ground. They rediscovered their footing, and their winning formula, with a rare Hoosier Hills Conference conquest.
The up-and-down Stars bounced back in the right direction on Tuesday night, sweeping past Columbus East to end a frustrating 23-match losing streak against league opponents. BNL pounced on the Olympians 25-19, 25-22, 25-23 for its first conference victory since a win over Jeffersonville late in the 2020 campaign.
So this was a long time coming.
Not only did BNL (8-6 overall, 1-3 in the HHC) close out that skid, it did so with style, twice rallying from six-point deficits to win sets. That’s a definite sign of maturity and growth for a team with only one senior, with more freshmen seeing action. Winning is the great elixir, and the Stars were thirsty.
“It feels good, we haven’t had one in a little bit,” BNL coach Aaron Wagoner said. “We needed it bad. The last two losses have felt terrible, it’s been a long stretch. We knew it would be a buzzsaw, it’s a really good conference and really stiff competition. We were in dire need of this one.”
There was no shame in the recent struggles, against quality opponents, but that didn’t make it less disheartening. If there was an opportunity to reverse the trend, it was against the Olympians (3-13, 1-3). BNL took advantage with a solid first set, then with two comebacks in the final two sets to close out a streak-busting triumph.
“We’ve been in a slump, so we really needed this,” junior Suttyn Alvey said. “Last year this was normal to us. The fact that we’re motivated to win, the fact we’re sad when we lose, this year has really changed for us. Confidence dropped a little bit, but this team is so much different. And this brought our confidence back.“
The Stars took control of the opening set with a five-point run to a 21-15 lead, highlighted by kills from Jenna Allen and Trinidy Bailey, and finished out the frame without trouble. That would come later. East bolted to a 16-10 advantage and had BNL in questioning mode. But the Stars answered with a burst to a 19-18 lead, then broke a 21-21 deadlock with kills from Sammie Gratzer.
The third set was almost a repeat of the second. The Olympians ripped to a 15-9 lead and still owned a 17-12 edge when BNL responded. Alvey was the catalyst with two aces during five consecutive service points, and Jenna Allen crushed two kills during that spurt.
Jayden Allen gave the Stars a 22-20 lead with a sneaky push shot to the open court, Isabella Root blasted a kill, and Bailey added another perfect push on the front row. BNL capped the win with Jenna Allen’s blast that bounced high off a defender, ricocheted around the rafters and dropped to the floor.
“It’s a good example that we’re here for each other,” Alvey said of the rallies in the later sets. “We pick each other up.”
Jenna Allen had 9 kills, Gratzer totaled 8, and Jayden Allen added 3 kills.
“They’re learning to battle,” Wagoner said. “We’ve had a lot of movement in the lineup, so adjusting to that has been a challenge. It’s been difficult. The confidence gets smashed because they’re not connecting every time.”
BNL will visit Shoals on Thursday.
