MSJHS Volleyball ends home season with win over Champaign Franklin
BY FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
M-S Seventh-Grade Volleyball
After breaking a 7-7 tie on Tuesday and winning the opening set 25-21, Ellie Dallas’ ace accounted for the first point in the second set and the Bulldogs went on to win with an identical 25-21 victory in Bloomington over George Evans Junior High.
The second set was tied 20-20. The match-clinching point came on a kill by Talia Francom.
On Monday, M-S decisioned Edison Middle School 26-24, 25-21 in Champaign.
The first set was tied 10 times, including at 24-24. In the second set, Addie Eisenmann was at the service line for five consecutive points as M-S created an 8-1 lead.
Edison, however, rallied, and led 20-18 before M-S completed the sweep. After a sideout cut the M-S deficit to one point, Emma Frazier served up five points in a row to help clinch the victory.
On Thursday, the Bulldogs completed their home schedule with a 25-15, 25-10 triumph over Champaign Franklin.
The win was the team’s 14th two-set sweep of the season.
A kill from Natalie Schulze terminated the first set. Behind service runs from Dallas, Eisenman and Kylie Waldinger, the Bulldogs jumped out to a 10-2 lead in set two and never allowed the visitors to get closer than six points thereafter.
M-S (14-3) returns to action in Saturday’s Charleston Tournament. The Bulldogs have an eight-match winning streak.
M-S Eighth-grade Volleyball
M-S celebrated Eighth-Grade Night on Thursday by handing Champaign Franklin a 25-17, 25-15 loss.
A 7-7 first-set deadlock was broken thanks to a six-point service run by Brianna DiFilippo. Teammate Marah Gilbert’s kill accounted for set point.
Avery Walker started off set two with a kill before an eight-point service run by Gabby Dawson gave the Bulldogs all the cushion they would need in their 10-point conquest.
M-S snapped a two-match losing streak by outlasting George Evans Junior High in a three-set thriller in Bloomington on Tuesday.
The Bulldogs scored the first five points in the first set and went on to a 25-13 win, concluding with a kill by Maddie Cortez.
M-S also built an early lead in the second set, 7-0, thanks to four aces by Shelby Raver, but Bloomington rallied and forced a third set with a 25-23 comeback triumph.
Dawson sparked a quick getaway in the third set with a seven-point serving streak and the team went on to a 25-14 win in the tiebreaking set.
Sammi VanSwol landed a kill on match point.
On Monday, the Bulldogs lost at Champaign Edison 25-17, 15-25, 25-15. It was the team’s third three-set loss of the season.
In the second set, Dawson was at the service line for 12 consecutive points to give the Bulldogs a lead they would never lose.
The third set was tied 12-12 before the Comets closed out the win with a 13-3 run.
The Bulldogs (9-8) return to action on Monday at Tolono Unity.
