Roselynn Venegas
Tuesday night’s volleyball game against Bedford North Lawrence had all the makings of a trap game for Columbus North.
The Bull Dogs were coming off a championship in Saturday’s Hauser Invitational and have a rivalry game coming up on Thursday at Columbus East. So the Bull Dogs might have been looking ahead a little bit in their 25-14, 25-21, 27-25 win against the Stars.
“I think we just got a little too relaxed tonight,” North coach Jenna Ortega said. “We tried some new things tonight. It was just another game to keep us moving and getting ready for Thursday.”
After the Bull Dogs (14-9) cruised in the first set and got a lead in the second, Ortega went deep into her bench, playing 15 players in that set. BNL came back to take an 18-16 lead, but North recovered to take a two-sets-to-none advantage.
“It was nice to be able to give them an opportunity and see what they can do outside of practice,” Ortega said. “They’ve been working hard and deserve more playing time. It’s just, we get into a rhythm and don’t really want to change things up. But I’m super proud of them for coming in and doing what they need to do.”
If the second set was a little too close for comfort for the Bull Dogs, the third was even more dramatic. The lead went back and forth for most of the set, and the Stars had a set point at 24-23. But after it was tied 25-25, North got a sideout and an ace from senior Roselynn Venegas to finish it off.
Venegas was a serving star for the Bull Dogs, going on long serving runs in the first and third sets. She led North with seven aces.
“Serving is one of my favorite concepts of the game,” Venegas said. “I’m usually the last server, so just really focusing in and knowing that I need to get it in. We do serving a lot in practice, so that’s one of my main focuses.”
Kennedy Horn and Elaina Penrod each recorded 11 kills and two block assists, and Reese Edwards tallied 27 assists and two block assists for North. Morgan Osborn notched 19 digs.
Also for the Bull Dogs, Sydney Ousley pounded seven kills, Holly Evans contributed 13 assists and Katelynn Mabis added 10 digs.
“We’re so excited for East,” Venegas said. “It’s always one of our favorite games. We’re looking for very good competition. Our win from this weekend was great, and with this win, we feel good.”
