In a good old fashioned county rivalry, sometimes that makes the scores a lot closer and the games more competitive. Crawfordsville and North Montgomery volleyball squared off at CHS on Thursday and unfortunately for the Chargers, their county rivals made quick work of them as the Athenians swept their county rival 25-8, 25-9, 25-14.
The win for the Athenians improves their record to 14-5 (1-1 SAC) on the season while the loss for the Chargers drops their record to 2-11 (0-5 SAC) on the season.
The visiting Chargers held tough with the Athenians for the beginning of the opening set trailing by a slim margin of 7-5. However Cville turned it into high gear the rest of the way and didn’t let up until the final point of the match.
“Volleyball is a strange game because the first few points of every match seem to be close like they were tonight,” Crawfordsville coach Kelly Johnson said. “I was proud of the girls for keeping their composure to stay focused and play our style of volleyball.”
For CHS in the win Macy Bruton, as she has all season, led the way on offense with 23 kills and added six digs, two assists and two aces. Devan Johnson added in eight and two digs. Jessica Tribble tallied 31 assists in the win while Halle Elliot added an ace and four digs.
While Bruton gets most of the attention, and rightfully so, the pieces around her are what make the Athenians a dangerous team. Johnson noted two players in particular who have elevated their play to help get CHS to where they are.
“Both Hallie Gayler and Halle Elliot get a ton of credit for what they do for us,” she said. “Hallie’s swing has improved a ton from last year and her timing is much better while Halle Elliot is a fantastic libero for us. She reads the court well and knows when the ball going out on serves.”
For the Chargers first-year coach Taylor Dyson continues to see positive things from her team even in losses. That positivity is what she’s focused on as she leads her team down the stretch.
“Tonight I saw some of the best effort that I’ve seen out of them all season,” Dyson said. “We take that as a win for us moving forward. It feels like we’re really beginning to turn a corner with our play. I think what we’re preaching is starting to set in with them and getting them motivated. It’s the little things that are beginning to be done well and that will only help them improve.”
Rylie Gayler led the Chargers with 13 digs in the loss. Trista Thomas ended her night with six digs. McKenzie Schroeder led North in kills with six and Piper Ramey tallied 10 assists.
For the Athenians they are beginning to find their stride on the court. They end the week with a 3-0 record and have played a lot on the road against the likes of West Lafayette, Central Catholic, North Putnam, Lebanon and competing in the Greenwood tournament. Those games are what Johnson says will make her team better as they prep for the final stretch run.
“Those games make us better and we know that,” she said. “But we’re also glad to be back at home after a lengthy road trip. We’ll give the girls the weekend off then it’s back to work.”
Another note worth mentioning for the Athenians is that recently the program and Tribble were recognized by the IHSAA for their good sportsmanship on the court this past week. Johnson took a moment to note what that honor meant for her team.
“It was pretty exciting for us a program to be recognized like that,” she said. “The official who nominated us I’ve known for a long time and is proud of our program so It was nice for us and Jessica to get that honor.”
CHS will look to be crowned county champions the next time they hit the floor as they make the quick trip to Southmont on Tuesday for a battle with the Mounties. North Montgomery will hit the road on Monday looking to get back in the win column when they take on Cloverdale.
