DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
MONROE – A youthful Adams Central lineup nearly pulled off a remarkable upset Saturday night in front of a packed crowd at the Hangar, but it was the veteran presence of the Bellmont Braves that ultimately led to a five-set victory for the visitors.
The shorthanded Braves bounced back from a loss in the opening set to take a 2-1 lead, but the Jets forced a fifth when they won the fourth set, 25-20.
The final score read 19-25, 25-21, 25-22, 20-25, 15-10 in the opener for both teams.
Bellmont played without two of the biggest hitters on the team, with Katie Reinhart and Kaylee Kolter playing no part in the proceedings. That opened up a spot for junior Belle Gumbel to shine. With her older sister (Alyssa) off to college playing at PFW, Belle led the team with 12 kills on just 21 attempts.
Much of the success over the last four years for the Braves came from Alyssa Gumbel and MaryKate Scheumann, who is now at Purdue. Both graduated early to jump start their collegiate careers. Saturday night’s tough environment in the Hangar was the first test for the team without Scheumann.
The Jets were led by two freshmen who made awfully big impressions on the crowd. Jentrie Schaefer led the way with 12 kills and Claira Foreman had ten. Coach Henry also got twelve kills from junior Daisy Hindenlang.
Bellmont fans also got a glimpse of freshman Emie Krull, who split setting duties with senior Gracie Riggs. Krull had 18 assists and Riggs had 13.
The Braves relied heavily on senior Taylor Sutter and she delivered ten kills, eleven digs and a pair of aces from the service line. She also had four assists to show her versatility.
Schaefer and junior Luci Noblitt had a nice night at the net for the Jets with a couple of blocks each.
Both teams will be on the road Tuesday night, with the team bus for both making the trip north up 27. Bellmont will stop at Bishop Dwenger for our match of the week on 92.7 FM, while the Jets’ bus will jog west and keep going. AC will play at Churubusco.
The Braves will open their home season Thursday against Bishop Luers.
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