By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – For the first two sets, Bedford North Lawrence’s best came when the situation was near the worst. Perhaps the Stars got tired of living on the edge. They saw things in a different way in the final frame.
After rallying from the verge of disaster in the opening two sets, BNL exploded with a devastating 16-1 run to close out an impressive 3-1 triumph over Jennings County on Thursday night. With Izzy Root and Lily Mishler crushing down kills, the Stars (3-1) rode a wave of high energy to their third straight win and conquered the Panthers for the first time since 2017.
While the first two sets were gritty, the fourth was glamorous as BNL bolted to a 30-28, 26-24, 19-25, 25-11 triumph. That final blast was BNL living its best life. Aces, kills, blocks – the Stars showed their entire arsenal during that closing burst.
“Once we got on a roll, I knew we had it in the bag,” Mishler said. “We are very determined to show people what we’re capable of, what we’ve worked so hard to achieve.”
That bag has a few rips in it at first, especially with some service-line leakage. The Panthers owned a 20-15 lead in the first set, and a 21-14 advantage in the second. The Stars proved no deficit was too great.
In opener, BNL roared back to a 22-22 deadlock, then survived four set points before surging. Mishler hammered home a kill, Root responded with a strong spike, and Mishler put away the final point to close it out. In the next set, the Stars erased the seven-point lead with a 9-2 run.
“We asked if they have to put themselves in that position to get motivated,” BNL coach Aaron Wagoner said. “Maybe that’s part of it, maybe they’re looking for an incentive. That’s a dangerous place to be.
“We had a lot of service errors, but our hitters are finding lanes, finding what is working. If we keep it under control, put it where we want it, it’s awfully good.”
Trailing 9-8 in the fourth, with Jennings threatening to keep momentum, BNL found its groove. Mishler ignited it with a block point and net kill, Adalynn Bailey cranked back-to-back service aces, and Mishler soared for two straight kills up front. Then Root dominated the final three points with two knockdown blocks and a scrambling tip kill at match point.
“It shows our grit and what we’re capable of this season,” Root said. “It’s having good energy. It’s shows our strength. We’re a very united team, we work as one.”
Root totaled 20 kills and six blocks while Mishler finished with 20 kills and two blocks. Bailey had 39 assists in the midst of all that power, and she added 14 digs on the back row. Jenna Allen totaled 12 kills and 20 digs.
“We will take that,” Wagoner said. ”It all starts with the pass. If the pass is on, we’re going to be really dangerous. We kept the ball under control better in that last set. When we get our energy up, it’s hard for the ball to drop.”
The Stars will compete in the Brownstown Invitational on Saturday.
