By Travis Smola
For the second year in a row, Vicksburg went on the road against Paw Paw and lost in heartbreaking fashion in five sets.
Thanks to the boisterous support of the Bulldogs’ JV squad from the crowd, the match sounded more like a home game than a road one. But it wasn’t enough to help Vicksburg counter the speed of the Red Wolves. Vicksburg had a 5-2 lead early in the first set. The Bulldogs had some nice momentum a few times thanks to aces from Scarlett Hosner and Natalie Hoagg. But Paw Paw kept pulling things back even. They eventually won set one 25-21.
Vicksburg took the second set 25-18, but the Red Wolves didn’t make it easy. The two teams stayed within a point of one another for much of the match. It wasn’t until near the end that the Bulldogs started forcing Paw Paw into mistakes.
The Red Wolves took set three 25-19 after taking an early 8-1 lead. The Bulldogs started playing better late in the set and came close to mounting a comeback after being down 20-12. One of the highlights there was freshman Addison Naplin serving up an ace. Unfortunately, they were unable to overcome late mistakes.
With their backs against the wall, Vicksburg started set four down 3-1 before mounting a flurry of offense. The team finally pulled away late in the set for a 25-19 win to force a fifth set.
In the final set, the Bulldogs kept things close for much of the match. It briefly looked like momentum shifted after a Hosner ace, but Paw Paw’s excellent blocking caused problems for Vicksburg all night, despite the Bulldogs having a clear height advantage. Paw Paw eventually took the final set 15-12.
