Medora coach Becca Lucas talks to her team during a timeout in the Trinity Lutheran Sectional on Saturday morning. No. 15 is Jenna Bowers, and No. 5 is Isabelle Spence.
Arv Koontz | The Tribune
Medora’s Madison Reece prepares to serve against Trinity Lutheran on Saturday morning.
Arv Koontz | The Tribune
Medora volleyball coach Becca Lucas said her team faced a more talented and more experienced volleyball team in Trinity Lutheran in the Class A sectional in the Bollinger Athletic Complex on Saturday morning.
“I think we just weren’t as advanced as Trinity was to begin with,” Lucas said. “We’re starting a lineup with six girls, and two of them have never played volleyball before versus some of these other girls that have played for a long time.
“We haven’t played a team that good this year,” Lucas said after Trinity advanced to the finals with a 25-5, 25-4, 25-4 win.
The Cougars used aggressive serving to take leads early in all three sets. Carson Bowling served the Cougars into a 7-0 lead in the first set before Medora scored a point on a Trinity attacking error.
Laykin Hinderlider served an ace to give Medora a 2-0 lead in the second set before Trinity scored 15 straight points. After Jenna Bowers had a kill for the Hornets, the Cougars pulled away with Bailey Tabeling getting a kill for set point.
After Medora scored the first point in the third set, the Cougars scored nine straight points.
At this point, Lucas called a timeout and public address announcer Herb Gross played a little “YMCA,” and just about everybody, from the players to the coaches and even the officials, did their version of the “Y.”
When play resumed, Drew Hubbard served two of her four aces for the 12th and 15th Trinity points, and match point came on a passing error by the Hornets.
Madison Keith topped the Cougars in attacks with 10, Bowling had nine and Ava Blomenberg had seven.
Bowling led in aces with eight, Kiley Zabel was the leader in digs with three and Addison Darlage had two. Darlage had 24 assists, and Jordan Brewer had 12.
Trinity coach Faith Wilder-Newland said she was pleased with the serving and Trinity’s play at the net.
“We were just trying to get a lot of people in and get some experience,” she said.
The Hornets, who only had six players dressed for the match, didn’t have any seniors on the roster.
“We’re definitely having to build the program up from ground zero,” Lucas said.