Week at the Net: Lady Bears sweep matches over Northside (Columbus)

Opening Match: Lady Bears Take 2 of 3 sets against Lady Patriots.

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — The Houston County Lady Bears started the evening off battling the Northside (Columbus) Lady Patriots in three sets.

The Lady Patriots started off strong in the first set, and the Lady Bears were not able to overcome the strong start and lost 25-16.

There was excellent setting from Harley Tye Mitchell and Ava Mason in the first set, as well as strong kills by Ella Curbow and Ella Blasche but in order to take the second and force a decisive third, the Lady Bears needed to take that effort into the next set.

The Lady Patriots struggled in the second with overpasses that Lady Bear Blasche forced back to floor for the point.

Mitchell showed her poise and fed all the hungry Lady Bears’ outside hitters Curbow, Blasche and Mason.

Throughout this set the teams traded points with neither able to string together more than two or three points together.

The Lady Patriots took command of the set and led 24-22, but the Lady Bears scored two points and the server and net play allowed them to capture the next three points and the set to force the third.

The third set proved to be exciting as each team traded points back and forth as Jeneal Balbin led serving placement and Mitchell with a dump set on two to give the Lady Bears a small lead.

The Lady Bears went up 16-15 when siding out back to the Lady Patriots. Eventually, the Lady Bears captured the match two sets to one.

Intermission: Lady Patriots Rebound against the Lady Eagles.

The Lady Patriots had their second strong start against the Northside Lady Eagles, and led 7-2 early in the first set.

From then on, the Lady Patriots carried that start through the set and won 25-9.

The Lady Eagles weren’t able to gain any ground in the first set in large part to errors in various facets of play, and needed to clean those up to take the second set and force a third.

The second started off much better for the Lady Eagles as the Lady Patriots were up 13-5 but behind setting and passes from Dayton Clements and Emily Deighan, as well as hitting from Kyndall Scott they closed the gap to 22-15. Eventually they lost the set and match by a score of 25-16.

Night Cap: Lady Bears clip the wings of the Lady Eagles in two sets.

The Lady Bears rumbled over the Lady Eagles in two sets by scores of 25-10, 25-11.

The Lady Bears showed their experience with many blocks and kills followed by points off of serves and jump serve placement. It was a perfect storm, and the Lady Eagles had little answer in their eventual loss.

The Lady Eagles were communicated better on the court but it was not enough to overcome the Lady Bears’ talent and communication.

The set and match ended when the Lady Bears fired a shot to the back row but after the recovery from the Lady Eagles’ back row, the second shot fell to the floor giving the Lady Bears the set and the match.

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