By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
MITCHELL – Round, round, get around, Bedford North Lawrence sophomore Izzy Root circled around the court with a new “bingo” celebration following a ferocious hit at the net. Whether it goes viral, like an old Beach Boys song in the 1960s, remains to be seen. It’s sure to make the social media scene.
Root and the Stars had plenty to sing about during their high-impact season opener. BNL, with superior firepower at the service line and devastating scoring runs, cruised down the same ol’ strip on Highway 37 for a sweep of county rival Mitchell on Tuesday night.
The Stars, for the second straight year, rolled their southern neighbors, posting a 25-16, 25-7, 25-18 triumph. Fast starts were the key to the first two sets as BNL established its power.
“It was a little bit sloppy, but we saw a lot of cool things, too,” BNL coach Aaron Wagoner said. “Our hard work is paying off.”
BNL took control with an 11-2 lead in the opening set, then blasted to a 10-1 advantage in the second. The Bluejackets (0-5) showed some grit in the third, just not enough to overcome BNL’s advantage up front. Sammie Gratzer crushed 10 kills while Root added six service aces and 4 kills.
“We’ve been working on establishing the middle, and I thought they played great,” Wagoner said. “The connections are starting to happen with our setter (Adalynn Bailey). That’s a beautiful thing when it starts going.
“Izzy is skilled, and she’s very mentally strong. She thinks it through. She had a great run, others did as well. That’s exciting.”
Root served 10 straight points during the second-set burst. Bailey chipped in four kills overall, and Sara Williams totaled 7 digs on the back line.
”Any win is great, right?” Wagoner asked, knowing the answer is affirmative.
For the young Bluejackets, the immediate deficits tempered any emotional lift.
“We’re definitely better than we were last year, but we were a little flat,” Mitchell coach Krista Kirk said. “I don’t know if it was rival jitters, or first-home-game jitters. It’s not what we wanted, but there was growth. It was a learning experience. We need runs to help us be successful, and we didn’t have that.“
BNL will make its home debut on Thursday against Borden, while Mitchell will visit Paoli for its Patoka Lake Athletic Conference opener.
