DUBLIN – West Bladen battled back from a first set loss to take the next three sets and defeat East Bladen 3-1 in Four County Conference volleyball action Thursday night by set scores of 22-25, 25-20, 25-17 and 25-14.
Senior Anna Grace Long tallied the first service point for East Bladen, but senior Kassidy Anderson tipped in a winner, and senior Kathryn Schultz scored on a block to pull West Bladen even at 2-2.
Senior Logan Autry pushed across a winner to ring up a service point for Anderson, and Schultz slammed in a kill for a 4-3 Lady Knight lead. Senior Lexie Mendell tied the game with a block then reeled off 4 straight service points that included an ace and put East ahead 8-4.
Sophmore Raegan Davis answered with 3 service points and an ace that edged West in front 9-8. Sophmore Ashley Hardin and junior Hannah Devane delivered service points that see-sawed East on top 12-10.
An Anderson kill and a Morgan Schumacher service point tied the game 12-12. A trio of Long service points put East up 16-12, but Schultz knocked in a kill, and Autry posted a service point for a 16-14 margin.
Another Anderson kill and a service point from senior Jenna Dove closed the gap to 18-17. Davis whistled in an ace and added 3 straight service points to vault West ahead 22-18.
Hardin then served out the set as an ace began a string of 6 straight service points. Senior Bethany Lesane slammed in a pair of kills during the run.
Senior Alexa Hernandez swatted in a kill, and Long added a service point for a 2-0 East lead in set two. Anderson rallied the Lady Knights with a kill and a pair of service points, and Schultz smacked in a kill for a 3-2 West lead.
After a Davis kill made it 4-3 West, Hernandez drilled in an ace to start a run of 5 consecutive service points that included another ace. A Mendell kill capped the run and put East on top 9-4.
A service point from junior Patience Parker kept West within 10-7, before Schumacher blistered the court with 3 straight aces during a string of 6 consecutive service points. Anderson and Schultz slammed in kills, and Anderson and senior Laikyn Pait tipped in winners during the run that put the Lady Knights ahead 15-12.
Two service points each from Schultz and Davis and one more from Parker widened the Lady Knight lead to 24-17. Hardin responded with a service point and an ace, before West took the set.
A pair of Lesane service points staked East to an early 3-1 lead in set three. Kills by Pait and Davis ignited a 4-point service run by Anderson that included an ace and vaulted West ahead 6-3.
A Mendell kill and a pair of Hernandez service points tied the set 6-6, and Dove and Hardin traded service points as the score remained even at 9-9.
An Anderson kill and 2 kills by Schumacher won a trio of service points for Pait. Schumacher tacked on a pair of service points as West Bladen took a 16-10 lead.
Mendell responded with a pair of kills, and junior Shardajah Brown fired in an ace and a service point to close the gap to 18-15. Dove reeled off a trio of service points that included an ace for a 22-15 lead, and Schumacher tipped in a winner as West closed out the pivotal set.
A service point by Lesane and a Mendell kill sandwiched around a back-row winner by Dove began the fourth set with East up 3-1. Davis and Schumacher knocked in kills, and Schumacher scored on a block as Schultz claimed a pair of service points to put West ahead 4-3.
A Parker kill kicked off a 4-point service run by Davis that was aided by a Schumacher kill and opened up a 9-4 Lady Knight lead. Schumacher banged in 2 more kills, and Dove scored again from the back row as Parker reeled off 5 straight service points for a 14-6 West lead.
Kills by Anderson and Schultz produced 2 Dove service points and a 17-7 lead. Two service points by Lesane and a Mendell winner trimmed the margin to 18-12.
A Davis kill started a 4-point Anderson service run that upped the count to 23-12. Autry pushed across a winner, and Davis hammered in a kill on match point.
Davis racked up 12 service points, 8 kills, 2 aces and a block to lead the Lady Knights. Schumacher blasted in 10 kills, 3 aces, 6 service points and a block. Anderson delivered 10 service points, 7 kills and an ace.
Schultz slammed in 9 kills, 4 service points and 3 blocks. Parker contributed 7 service points and a kill. Dove finished with 6 service points, 2 kills and an ace. Pait collected 4 kills and 3 service points. Autry followed with 3 kills and 2 service points.
Lesane topped the Lady Eagle scoring with 17 service points and 2 kills. Hardin contributed 13 service points, 3 aces and a block. Hernandez totaled 12 service points, 2 aces, a kill and a dig.
Mendell hammered in 11 service points, 5 blocks, 6 kills and an ace. Long finished with 11 service points. Brown added 5 service points and an ace. Devane collected 4 service points and a kill.
Junior Kaley Smith had a service point and a dig. Jozee Strickland tallied 2 service points, and Sarah Johnson had one kill.
West Bladen, now 3-4 in league play and 7-6 overall, travels to Union Tuesday, while East Bladen visits Midway.
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