DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
With a big crowd on hand to cheer her on after receiving a ceremonial golden ball for her 1000th kill last week, Delaney Lawson smashed her way to 14 kills to lead the Bellmont Braves to a straight-set victory to remain undefeated in 2023 with a 25-13, 25-13, 25-11 victory Thursday night.
With nearly every outdoor activity canceled in the area, the student section for the Braves, decked out in black for the night, was as loud as ever, making it a difficult atmosphere for the visiting Starfires, who entered the night undefeated.
The Braves jumped out to an early lead, keeping errors to a minimum and building a 13-6 advantage before coach Buckingham called a time out. The Stars had just one kill in the match at that point.
Five points later, Buckingham called time out again, but the Braves were rolling and the final result was never in doubt.
MaryKate Scheumann’s kill from the left side won the first set 25-13.
The second set ended when Lawson was allowed to serve, and her jump serve was not returned as the Braves won by an identical 25-13 score.
With the home crowd in full voice and the match nearly over, the student section began chanting for Krull to empty the end of his bench, and he acknowledged their support by bringing in Kamryn Jarvis for the final few points. Setter Hailey Cole, who finished with 34 assists, fed Jarvis as many opportunities as she could and on her fourth attempt, it was Jarvis who ended the match with the 25th point in the third set, sending the students onto the court in excitement.
Scheumann finished with ten kills, while Alyssa Gumbel had six and Jackie Sutter eight.
Sami Christen led the Braves in digs with 19, while Shea Alberson had 10 for South Adams.
Reagan Bollenbacher was the team leader for SA in kills with four.
Despite the loss, South Adams knows they are off to a good start. They’ll head to Parkway Saturday for an Invite.
“It’s a good group of teams that we wouldn’t normally see,” head coach Ashley Buckingham told WZBD before the game. “It depends on how the rest of the bracket plays out, but it should set up well for us.”
Buckingham noted that Ohio teams are limited to three matches in a day, a contrast to the Saturday the Braves will face at Yorktown, where they will play four times in a span of less than eight hours. The final round match against Roncalli will be broadcast live on WZBD, 92.7 FM around 3 p.m.
The JV contest also went Bellmont’s way, with the Braves digging deep to win the second set in a nail-biter, 25-23.
South Adams was led by Shelby Weigel’s five kills and the 14 digs by libero Kapri Bixler.
Junior Varsity Score: Bellmont over South Adams, 25-18, 25-23
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