Kayden Miller
HOPE — Batesville had control for much of the volleyball match at Hauser on Thursday night.
The Jets battled, but the Bulldogs proved to be too much in a 25-19, 27-25, 25-17 decision.
“We’ve just got to be more consistent,” Hauser coach Jeff Case said. “We did some really good things, and we did some silly things and not put the pressure on the other team. We’ve got to be more consistent on our ball control. We‘ve got to be mentally tough and locked in the game for 25 points. We’ll do it for 10 points and maybe take five or six off. We’ve got to be consistent for 25 points.”
Batesville went on the attack early in the first set by jumping out to a 6-0 lead. It was a tough hill to climb for the Jets (5-6). They got to within three points on a couple of occasions, but the six-point cushion was enough for the Bulldogs to ride to a 1-0 lead in the match.
Hauser wasn’t flat to start the second set. The Jets possessed an early 10-6 lead. Batesville battled back to lead 12-11 to force a Hauser timeout. It didn’t stall the Bulldogs momentum as they extended the lead to 18-13. The Jets didn’t fold, however, as they slowly erased the deficit to tie it at 24-24, but Batesville won the final push to claim a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set wasn’t as competitive as the first two. The Bulldogs took command early by leading 10-3. Hauser cut it to 11-8, but then Batesville opened the lead to 20-13 to eventually to put away the match.
Kayden Miller finished with 18 assists, eight digs, two blocks and an ace for the Jets. Kenze Bostic had 10 digs, nine kills and an ace; and Aniston Bostic tallied 13 kills and two blocks.
Also for Hauser, Paige McDaniel finished with three kills and two blocks. Abby Blair had two aces, Gracie Blair had eight digs and Maley Jordan added an assist.
