By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Some nights, the enemy within is the greater challenge. Other nights, it’s the one on the other side of the net. Bloomington South, ranked No.14 in the state power ratings, falls in that second category.
The Panthers, on a postseason mission of redemption after an earlier-than-expected exit last season, continued their preparation for that run with a three-set sweep of Bedford North Lawrence on Tuesday night. South (21-1 with eight straight wins) rolled unchallenged to a 25-17, 25-16, 25-12 triumph while dominating all phases.
South was particularly vicious at the service line. Everly Clark, one of the state leaders in aces, cranked out six as the Stars struggled with returns. When BNL did get the ball back, South’s Quinn Reynolds knocked down 12 kills.
“We talk about serve pressure,” South coach Emma Abplanalp said. “We attack and get in their heads. It’s a mental game. We put a lot of pressure on where we’re serving and how aggressive we are. High risk, high reward.
“It’s no secret, it’s a great group of girls. They’re hungry. The goal is to play as hard as we can, give everyone our best. They want it, and that’s something you can’t coach.”
For the Stars, Lily Mishler had 10 kills, Izzy Root totaled four blocks, Jenna Allen had 10 digs, while Adalynn Bailey finished with 10 digs and 13 assists.
”We’re not completely disappointed,” BNL coach Aaron Wagoner said. “We’ve seen them play well below their means, we’ve seen them play at their means. I don’t think we’ve seen above their means yet.
“Just compete. We know the enemy, we know who they are and what they can do. Show them what we can do. They feed off the energy, negative or positive, one way or another.”
BNL (8-12) will host Springs Valley on Thursday.
