Seymour pulls out four-setter against Columbus North

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Thus far into its season, Seymour High School’s volleyball team has kept its fans on the edge of their seats.

The Owls followed up Saturday’s five-set win over Jeffersonville with a four-setter against Columbus North.

Seymour again prevailed, topping the Bull Dogs 25-22, 27-29, 25-21, 25-23 at the Lloyd E. Scott Gymnasium on Tuesday.

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The Owls (2-0) rallied from down six points at the end of the fourth set to come up in the clutch.

“We’ve had trouble in the preseason and practices putting away sets,” Seymour coach Angie Lucas said. “I’m extremely proud of these girls for coming back and winning that fourth one. We didn’t want to play five. We were running out of gas. It was the first time we’ve pushed through since I’ve been back. What we saw was very promising tonight.”

The teams exchanged the lead in the early going of the first set until the Bull Dogs (0-1) won four straight points on serves from Jalynn Reardon to lead 8-4.

The Owls answered by scoring six points in a row, which was capped by a block from Maddie Storey, to lead 12-9. The teams again traded the lead, after North closed the gap, but a 7-0 run by the Owls propelled them to a 20-13 lead.

While the Bull Dogs would pull within two points, at 22-20, the Owls closed the set on a kill from Sophia Stahl for a 25-21 win.

Seymour took its momentum into the second set, but the Bull Dogs also got into a rhythm.

The Owls led 7-4 before a mini rally by the Bull Dogs put them on top 9-8 to force a timeout. Out of the break, the teams battled, tying the score five times, until an ace by Makenna Fee and a block from Jessica Blevins led to four straight points and a 20-17 Seymour advantage.

North took a timeout, but another ace by Fee and a kill from Blevins put the Owls up 22-17. A kill from North’s Agustina Gainguersch stopped the bleeding, which led to a Bull Dogs rally.

Down 24-22, the Bull Dogs’ Lauryn James had a block and a kill to tie the game. The teams tied at 25, 26 and 27 before the Bull Dogs buckled in to take it 29-27.

The third set also proved a roller coaster for both teams.

North built a 15-9 lead before the Owls strung together six straight points — capped by a kill from Blevins — to retie the set.

The teams then stayed within three points of each other the rest of the way. Seymour led 23-21 before a pair of North hitting errors helped put the Owls up 2-1 in sets.

The Bull Dogs used a pair of small scoring streaks to build a 12-7 lead early in the fourth set, but the Owls slowly chipped away at the deficit.

Seymour eventually cut the score to 21-19, which prompted a timeout by North.

Down 23-20, Blevins came up with a kill and Carlee Robinson pushed across four key serves — including a game-winner that clipped the net and wasn’t returned — to complete the comeback.

“In that fourth set, I told them to not let themselves down,” Lucas said. “The only way they were going to win it is if they played as a team. They did it, and we’re very proud of them.”

Blevins led the Owls’ offense by going 45-for-52 on hits (15 kills). Fee had 10 kills, and Storey added four. Seymour tallied 37 total kills.

Hayley Harpe topped the Owls with 20 assists, while Blevins (21), Emily Corcoran (20) and Chloe Criswell (25) each had 20-plus digs.

“Having three players get double-digit digs is pretty impressive,” Lucas said. “I felt defensively, we are good, and it let us run our offense and put pressure on them.”

The Owls (2-0, 1-0 HHC) will play a Hoosier Hills Conference match at Madison on Saturday.

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