INDIANAPOLIS — New Palestine couldn’t find the consistency it needed.
After bouncing back from a first-set loss, the Dragons controlled the entire second set in Thursday’s first round match of the Class 4A Volleyball Sectional 10 at Lawrence Central High School.
Unfortunately for the Dragons, they weren’t able to sustain that second-set play for the entire match and had their season come to an end at the hands of the North Central Panthers, 3-1.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
North Central (11-16) moves on to a Saturday semifinal match against Cathedral.
Thursday’s set scores were 25-16, 22-25, 25-16, 25-23.
“Consistency is where we struggled tonight,” New Palestine coach Kelli Whitaker said. “We had some really high moments, and then on the flip side, we had some pretty low ones, too.
“We struggled trying to get in the groove. North Central was a very solid team. They had some good hitters and we struggled blocking tonight and putting up a defense that could slow them down at the net.”
The Dragons had that groove going in the second set.
Tied 7-7, New Palestine scored 11 of the next 14 points. It was a little bit of everything. Twice, junior middle blocker Jesi Hall and junior outside hitter Kaelyn Armstrong combined for blocks. Armstrong added a pair of kills and Hall and frosh middle Reagan Kleiman each finished off an attack. Sophomore libero Grace Myers and senior defensive specialist Reina Amones also had aces during the run.
North Central came back and tied it, 22-22, but the Dragons scored the last three points. Hall put New Pal ahead with a kill. Junior setter Sarah Adam’s tip kill got it to match point. Armstrong had the decider to even the match 1-1.
“I think the first set was probably a little bit of nerves,” Whitaker said. “We’ve started slow in a lot of our matches this year. We were missing that fire and energy that the team needs to come out and play with.
“At the timeout (in between sets), we just talked about wanting to see our team. We want the six girls to show up that we know we have. I think that kind of fired them up, but then the third set was kind of the same as the first set. It was kind of a roller coaster.”
The ride got a little bumpy in the final two sets, but the Dragons put up a strong effort in trying to force a fifth set.
In the fourth, North Central got out to a 22-17 lead, but the Dragons kept clawing their way back in. An Armstrong kill cut it to 23-21 and when Rachel Popp’s dig dropped in play on the Panthers’ side of the court, it was a one-point set, 23-22.
Kleiman had a kill two points later to cut it to 24-23, but a Dragons’ service error ended the match.
“I’m super proud of their fight,” Whitaker said of her club’s late fourth-set rally. “They showed a lot of grit and mental toughness at the end. To be down two sets and late in the fourth set, they could have rolled over, but they didn’t.
“They fought. It was kind of heart-breaking to end that way, but I’m proud of their fight in the fourth set.”
The Dragons finish the season 16-13, a nice record for a youthful team that plays in the powerhouse Hoosier Heritage Conference. New Palestine graduates only two players, Amones and right side hitter Lauren Dodd.
On Thursday, freshman Kleiman had a team-best 13 kills and two blocks. Armstrong had 11 kills and six digs. Myers had 15 digs. Adam had 40 assists and 12 digs.
