Columbus North coach Jenna Ortega talks to her team following Saturday’s Franklin Sectional final loss to host Franklin.
Ted Schultz | The Republic
FRANKLIN — Columbus North’s best volleyball season in seven years came to an end Saturday night, one win short of the program’s first-ever sectional title.
After sweeping Whiteland in Saturday afternoon’s semifinals, the Bull Dogs ran into a buzzsaw in Franklin in the evening final. The host Grizzly Cubs never let North get on any kind of a roll in posting a 25-17, 25-16, 25-10 victory.
“I think we started off a little nervous, and that got the best of us,” North coach Jenna Ortega said.
The Bull Dogs (17-13) fell behind by six points on three occasions in the first set before rallying to within 19-17 on an ace by Kennedy Horn. But the Grizzly Cubs then scored six consecutive points to close out the set.
North was within 9-8 in the second set before Franklin began to take control. In the third set, the Grizzly Cubs jumped out to an 8-0 lead and never looked back.
Kennedy Horn led the Bull Dogs with 10 kills and three aces. Reese Edwards recorded 15 assists, Kaitlin White and Karen Dutro each had one block assist and Morgan Osborn notched 14 digs.
Also for North, Dutro and Elaina Penrod each pounded four kills. Edwards tallied six digs and two aces, and Kaitlynn Mabis added six digs.
“I think we could have done better, but overall, I’m proud of the season we’ve had, and to make it this far was still something to be proud of,” Ortega said. “It’s a learning experience, a learning curve to get it together for next year. I think it definitely gives us some motivation, and I think these girls will definitely have it for next year. I think these girls have a lot to prove.”
In the semifinals, the Bull Dogs cruised to a 25-16, 25-22, 25-19 win against Whiteland. Horn led North with 15 kills and three solo and three assist blocks, while Edwards recorded 28 assists, Osborn notched 19 digs and Roselynn Venegas and Mabis each served three aces.
Also for the Bull Dogs, Dutro pounded eight kills and two assist blocks, Sydney Ousley added seven kills and two assist bkocks and Penrod had two assist blocks. Edwards and Venegas each tallied 11 digs, and Osborn added two aces.
North posted its first winning season since 2016 and played in the sectional final for the first time since 2017.
“This year was a turn in the right direction, so I’m really proud of them,” Ortega said. “It’s been awhile since we’ve had a winning season, and to come this far and be in the final, the championship game was nice. Having a new coaching staff, I think it helped our program a huge amount with the knowledge from all the coaches, and we made one good team. We all worked well together, so I think it’s going to grow from there.”
In Saturday’s first semifinal, Columbus East fell to Franklin 25-11, 25-17, 22-25, 25-21.
Krea Martin led the Olympians (10-22) with 12 assists and two aces. Jenna Guse pounded 16 kills, and Chloe Gilley notched 45 digs.
Also for East, Caroline Frost recorded 13 kills and eight digs, and Lilah Klei pounded eight kills. Martin tallied 12 digs, Guse added eight digs and one ace and Addison Emery served one ace.
