Crawfordsville’s volleyball team took step one toward a county championship with a 3-0 win over North Montgomery.
The 25-8, 25-9, 25-7 victory moves the Athenians to 15-0 on the season, and moves them to 2-0 in the Sagamore Conference.
The Chargers fall to 2-7 on the season and 0-5 in the conference.
“We have a great varsity squad,” Athenians coach Kelly Johnson said. “We have 24 awesome kids and I’m just proud of each and every one of them. I was really happy for our JV. They got a big win too.”
The home squad set the tone and the pace from the start and didn’t give the Chargers much to work with.
They jumped out to big leads in all three sets and cruised to the wins.
“When we finally got into the gym in July, it was such a blessing,” Johnson said. “There is so much negativity in our world, and these girls have such a positive attitude. It is fun first — believe in themselves and each other.”
Chargers coach Whitney Hutson, in her first year as a head coach, noticed.
“They were fun to watch,” she said. “You can see their enthusiasm, and that is where we need to head. We need to have fun.”
Crawfordsville got big numbers from all the regular cast as they rolled to the win.
Macy Bruton had 17 kills and eight digs, and the sophomore added a pair of service aces. She now has 295 kills for the season.
Laine Schlicher had 22 assists, to run the junior’s season total to 278. She had eight digs and two aces of her own.
Alyx Bannon had nine kills and six blocks, while Shea Williamson had seven digs and assist, five kills and the last two service aces. Olivia Reed had 11 digs and a kill.
“We communicate well,” Johnson said of her squad. “Our court sense is awesome. We trust each other and know where each other will be. That has helped make us consistent this year. We play our positions well and we earn our points. We know that our job is to take care of our side of the court. We are excited to be where we are at and know we have a tough road game at South next Tuesday.”
The Chargers were led by Haley Burton with five digs, while Trinity Schroeder added four more. Carlie DeSmet had two kills.
“We are working on and emphasizing team play,” Hutson said. “We have to build on finishing points and getting more hits in bounds. We are not consistent enough yet, and we still are looking for some more leadership.”
Both teams are back in action next Tuesday.
The Chargers are home against Clinton Central while the Athenians travel to Southmont. The winner will claim the county title.
