BEDFORD – Bedford North Lawrence’s trajectory continues to climb.
The Stars posted their fifth consecutive victory on Thursday night, conquering Shoals (15-3) in three sets. BNL ended Shoals’ four-game winning streak with a 25-15, 25-20, 25-22 triumph.
Sammie Gratzer powered BNL (10-7) with 19 kills and 4 service aces. After losing seven of eight, the Stars have reversed course in dramatic fashion.
“We got down pretty bad,” BNL coach Aaron Wagoner said. “My gosh, we played some high-level competition. That takes a toll, even if you have the understanding that we’re getting better by playing them. Losing still takes a toll, they weigh on you. So taking these last five, against historically strong programs, has been really encouraging.
“Shoals is not a pushover. It just takes a team not putting worth the effort, not doing the things they’re supposed to do, to go out of there with a goose egg. So we did a good job pushing through.”
In addition to Gratzer’s power, Adalynn Bailey totaled 15 digs and 3 aces, Trinidy Bailey had 12 assists and 10 digs, Lily Mishler cracked 7 kills and Sara Williams finished with 11 digs.
The Jug Rox rushed to a 6-0 lead in the third set before BNL battled back.
”We talked about that, and decided to let them grind it out, see if they can take it,” Wagoner said. “And they did. We trusted them to get the job done. It was still an error-ridden night. But I’ve noticed the girls have started to cover well. We got a lot of second-chance points because we had Suttyn Alvey, Sara or Jenna Allen back there to cover. That’s been really positive.
“Sammie did really well. She’s a dominant hitter, she just needs to step up and be big. Adalynn has been using her weapons, starting to connect with a couple of those. Across the board, they’re all playing well, playing their position as well as they can.”
BNL will host Orleans on Monday.
