By Sam Murdock
Contributing Writer
MUNCIE ���?? With Class 4A top-ranked
Indianapolis Cathedral in town to battle ever-slipping 4A No. 8 host Muncie
Central, it���?�s quite possible that no one at Muncie Fieldhouse was adequately prepared
for what went down Sept. 28.
That���?�s
because the host Bearcats came out like a ball of fire, beating Cathedral in
four games.
���?It feels
good to win,�� said fourth-year Muncie Central coach Wes Lyon. ���?We competed hard
the whole time against a great rival.��
The first
game of the night was close until Muncie Central���?�s Katelyn Bergdoll and Tessa
McGill came up to serve for what turned out to be the last time. Bergdoll went
to serve at 18-15 and rattled off three points. After a point and a service
error on Cathedral���?�s Christiana Gray, McGill finished the Irish off, 25-17.
In Game 2,
things got a little sloppy for both teams. There were many missed attacks,
blocks, and mental errors early in the game before Cathedral���?�s Lauren McIntyre
dominated the net, getting four kills and a dig to even Cathedral up at a game
apiece.
From here
on, it was a fight between the Bearcats and the Irish for net dominance. With both
teams having multiple players receiving kills and blocks, it came down to
serving.
Muncie Central
stayed two to three points ahead of Cathedral in Game 3 before Cathedral senior
Yvonne Marten threatened the Bearcats at 24-19, scoring three solid points to
bring the Irish close. But a blocking error and strong Muncie Central attacking
sided-out Cathedral, which fell 25-23.
Cathedral
took a 9-7 lead after the sixth rotation in Game 4 after both teams had a bad
turn on their blocking, knocking several balls out of bounds. It again became a
battle at the net as Central���?�s McGill and Kim Kuzma went head-to-head with
Cathedral blockers. McGill had three kills, while Kuzma racked up six of her
own as well as assisting on a block with sophomore Kristina Kerrigan.
But Muncie
Central���?�s attacks weren���?�t all lovely as the Bearcats had six attacking errors, all
either into the net or out of bounds. Cathedral, meanwhile, got four blocks by
Christiana Gray (plus a solo and an assisted block) in addition to two assisted
blocks and three solos by Mary Ording. All of Ording���?�s blocks were assisted by
Marten, who had four kills in Game 4.
Points came
down to the wire. Muncie Central, for a brief moment, forgot that it was still
playing as two receiving players watched Cathedral���?�s 24th point land
right in front of them.
With
Cathedral up 24-23 and with the ball in hand, the crowd was preparing for a
Game 5. But a net rally provided a boost for Central, and the Bearcats
reawakened. Kuzma shot off two kills to side Cathedral out, give Muncie Central
a 25-24 lead.
When Marten
hit her spike into the net, mighty Cathedral had fallen, 26-24.
���?Central
is a good team ���?? hats off to Wes,�� said Cathedral coach Jean Kesterson. ���?We
just weren���?�t dominating at the net, and there was no back court. They outplayed
us.��
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