Shea Williamson sets up her teammates.
Freshman Macy Bruton led the Athenians with 18 kills.
In a potential sectional preview match, Benton Central took down Crawfordsville 3-1 (25-17, 21-25, 25-18, 25-17) on Monday evening in volleyball action.
After the Athenians took an early 3-0 lead in the first game, the Bison (9-1) responded with a 10-4 run and never looked back. Crawfordsville (7-5) was able to steal a win in the second game, before Benton Central took control in the final two games to seal the match.
“We knew Benton Central would be good,” Crawfordsville coach Kelly Johnson said. “They’ve got quite a bit more experience on the floor than we do, but for us to get a game on them is huge. We will improve a lot between now and sectional time.”
In the second game, the Athenians jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but much like in the first game, the Bison responded with an 8-0 run to go up 8-5.
Finally after Crawfordsville stopped the bleeding with a point to make it 8-6, Laine Schlicher took the ball to serve and the Athenians rattled off 11 straight points to go up 16-8, and eventually hold on for the win.
“A lot of times especially in volleyball, you have to adjust to where hitters are going to hit,” Johnson said. “But I thought we made adjustments and for us to come back and win that second game after the way the first one went was huge. Our kids are going to fight, and they’re not going to give up.”
Schlicher, a sophomore, had 19 assists and seven aces, while freshman Macy Bruton had 18 kills and three aces to lead the Athenians.
Shea Williamson added nine assists, and seven digs, while Abby Bannon had five kills and three aces. Olivia Reed added nine digs and an ace.
As Crawfordsville heads into a match tonight at North Vermillion, before hosting another sectional opponent in West Lafayette on Thursday, Johnson continues to see growth from her team every time they take the floor.
“We are going to do some damage to a lot of people, it’s just going to take us a while to get there,” she said. “We are still learning and growing as a team, and I’m excited about where we are right now.”
Athenians golf beats Terre Haute North
The Crawfordsville golf team took down Terre Haute North 206-238.
Bailey Mittal was the meet medalist with a low score of 47, while Georgia Kincaid and Evie Redding both fired 51’s. Gwen Redding shot a 57, while McKenzie Wilson fired a 66, and Sadie Walker a 67.
