By Dylan Wallace | The Tribune
The Medora volleyball team has been out of action the last couple of weeks due to injuries and players in quarantine, but the Hornets finally returned to the courts on Monday night against Columbus Christian at home.
“It was great,” assistant coach Laysha Daulton said. “They were super excited to be out and to be playing again. They worked really hard these last two weeks.”
With head coach Leah Young on paternity leave, Daulton has took over at the helm, and with a shortage of players, Daulton even stepped in to practice with the girls to give them six players.
But the Hornets had seven players ready to go on Monday, and they started off well against the Crusaders.
Leading 23-20 in the first set, Columbus Christian was on a run, so Daulton called a timeout.
“Just to breathe,” she said. “I feel like they get really worked up.”
The Hornets went on to take the first set 25-21.
From there, Medora rolled in the second set. They took command of the set early and never looked back, winning the second set 25-14.
But in the third set, with the chance to put things away, the Hornets struggled.
The Crusaders took all the momentum and forced a fourth set with a 25-14 set-three win.
“I think they got so excited and too comfortable too quick,” Daulton said of the third set woes.
The fourth set was a back-and-forth battle. No team gave an inch, and the teams were tied at 19-all.
But Medora found a way. It was a tense atmosphere in the Hornets’ gym in the latter stages of the fourth set, fans were on the edge of their seats, but Medora pulled it out 25-22, picking up its first win on the season.
“They worked so hard and this is a mostly freshmen team playing varsity,” Daulton said. “It was amazing for us to win.”
Daulton felt the communication and teamwork was much better on Monday than it has been in any other match this season.
“They talked really well, and I think they worked so good as a team,” she said.
With the win, Medora will look to continue that momentum tonight when it plays at South Central. Then the Hornets will play again on Friday at Bloomington Lighthouse, getting back into the rhythm of the season.
“We are officially back to seven (players), and we’re ready to go,” Daulton said.