By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – “Eeewwww.” That was the understandable reaction as the Columbus North server requested timeout to clean melted cheese off the ball. That’s a hazard of the ball getting blasted into the seats. “Oooohhhhh.” That was the obvious reaction when North’s twin blasters up front served up sizzling spikes with hot sauce on them.
North middle hitters Kennedy Horn and Karen Dutro, both Div. I recruits, took turns tormenting Bedford North Lawrence as the powerful Bull Dogs recorded a three-set sweep on Tuesday night. North (14-14) pounded out a 25-13, 25-23, 25-14 victory, using its height advantage and spark from the shortest player on the court to quiet the Stars.
Horn, a 6-4 Seton Hall recruit, totaled 12 kills and 7 blocks, while Dutro (on her way to Butler) added 12 kills.
“They had some monsters,” BNL coach Aaron Wagoner said. “At times I thought we competed pretty well, and that’s hard to do when they have size on the other side like that.”
BNL’s best moments came during the early stages of the second set. The Stars stormed to a 5-0 lead and extended the margin to 16-9. North coach Jenna Ortega rolled her eyes when recalling that span.
“We got a little too comfortable after that first set,” Ortega said. “Once they realized they had to pick it up, they got in gear.”
The Dogs erased that gap, pulling even at 19-19. BNL held a brief 21-20 lead, but North scored the next four points and capped the set when a BNL serve sailed long.
“Usually it’s a serving thing,” Wagoner said. “If we’re serving tough, it puts us in a good position. We usually wait until the second set to figure that out.”
North smothered any drama or comeback in the third set. Holly Evans added 2 aces and libero Morgan Osborn (listed a 5-0 on the roster, which is an exaggeration) totaled 2 aces. “She makes a huge difference,” Ortega said, the pun probably unintended.
The Stars (11-8) didn’t total too many statistics. Sammie Gratzer had 5 kills, Jenna Allen added 3 kills, and Isabella Root finished with 3 kills.
“Sometimes our attitudes need work,” Wagoner said. “We should be happy to be here. Have fun, compete, don’t let the ball hit the floor. We play better like that. Love what you’re doing.
“I saw a lot of positive things. Root is showing a ton of promise, so there are good things to be excited about. And there’s a lot of stuff to work on.”
BNL will host Jeffersonville on Saturday.
