Scottsbluff wins fourth straight with sweep of Chadron

 

Chadron's Paige Slingsby goes up for a kill while
Scottsbluff's Lillian Hays and Marley Wilkinson go for the block.

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                 The Scottsbluff volleyball team earned their fourth straight win and third straight sweep as the Bearcats made senior night special for the four seniors with the 25-22, 25-22, 25-19 win over Chadron Thursday at Scottsbluff.

                Ava Reed, one of the four seniors recognized before the game along with Addy Bowlin, Alainah Salas, and Heidi Groskopf, said they played well against a talented Chadron team.

                “Tonight, I thought we played pretty scrappy. They are a great team and, even without their full squad tonight, they did a really good job showing up and I think that we responded well.”

                It was a very competitive match as no one had more than a 4-point lead throughout the night. Reed said they talk all the time about winning those close sets.

                “We kind of talk all the time about how winning is a skill and I think that we’re kind of figuring that out a little bit of how to finish those close sets,” she said.

                For the seniors, while it was senior night, they still have a couple more home matches. Reed, who had a kill in the third to make it 24-19 and then she served the final point for the win, said it was emotional at the start, but they knew how to focus at the right time.

                “Honestly, before the game it was kind of emotional, but we had to figure out how to lock in right at the beginning of the game,” she said. “We still have a couple of games left on our home court so we’re not trying to let those emotions get to us just yet.”

                The first set saw Scottsbluff grab a 12-7 lead on two Reed service points. Chadron came back to lead 14-13 on two points from Raylie Pourier and three ace serves from Paige Slingsby. Chadron led late 22-20. Bowlin got a kill to stop the run and then Lillian Hays served the final four points for the 25-22 win.

                Game two was just as close as Chadron led 5-2 after two Sophie Watson points. Scottsbluff came back to lead 16-11 before Chadron tied the game at 17-17 on three Watson points. Chadron led 20-19 on a Avarie de Koning kill and service points. The Bearcats came back to get the win 25-22 on a Salas service point.

                The third game saw Scottsbluff grab an 11-5 lead on two Finnley Martin points with two Reed kills. Scottsbluff led 16-0 and had a 22-13 lead on two Mia Bowles points. Chadron came back as de Koning had four points to cut the deficit to 22-18 and later 23-19. Reed got a kill to stop the run and then served the final point as Bowlin had the final kill.

                Scottsbluff moves to 12-9 on the season and will be in Gillette on Friday. Chadron goes to 9-8 and will be at Gordon-Rushville next Tuesday.