2 days Ago By MICHEAL COMPTON [email protected]
The Bowling Green volleyball team had its own version of a homecoming on Tuesday, returning home for the first time this season to defeat Greenwood 3-0 (25-13, 25-22, 30-28). After having to play its first 15 matches on the road due to completions of renovations to the BG gym, Bowling Green (12-4 overall, 3-1 District 14) was able to feed off the energy of the home crowd for the first time this season and avenge a 3-2 loss to Greenwood on Aug. 29.
“It’s just great to be back home,” BG coach Keith Carver said. “We got to play in front of our fans for the first time this year. It was a great crowd.
Appreciate them coming out. The arena looks great. Hopefully we can get a couple of more wins in it.
” Bowling Green came out with energy from the start, jumping out to an 8-1 lead and cruising from there. Junior Amirra Bailey set the tone with nine kills and an ace in the set. Bailey said it was a combination of being home and just finding an early groove as a team that led to the red-hot start in the first set.
“We’ve played in this gym for years and not playing in it was kind of weird,” Bailey said. “It was just great to be back in our element.” Greenwood (9-7, 2-2) was able to settle in and battle back in the second set, building a 15-11 advantage after an ace from Ava Travis.
Bowling Green used an 8-2 spurt to regain a 19-17 advantage. The Lady Purples never trailed again in the second set, scoring the final two points to go up 2-0 in the match. The third set was another back-and-forth battle, with Bowling Green scoring six straight to take a 23-17 lead late in the set.
BG’s lead was 24-18, but Greenwood fought off six match points to pull even. Bowling Green had three more match points before two kills from Caroline Stinnett gave the Lady Gators a 28-27 advantage and a chance to extend the match. Bowling Green answered with the last three points to seal the match and set up a match with South Warren next week that will determine the No.
1 seed in the District 14 Tournament. Bailey led the Lady Purples with 22 kills. “If it is not broke, don’t fix it,” Carver said.
“If she has a chance to get the ball, she’s playing above most of them up there, so it increases our opportunities. It all starts with (my setter).” Addie Kincheloe had eight kills for Bowling Green, while Chayse Gilliland finished with seven kills before leaving with an apparent knee injury early in the third set.
“It’s the reason why she is on the other three rotations when Amirra is off (the court),” Carver said. “We will figure it out. I’ve got kids ready to go.
They’ve played big-time minutes on the road for me already, so we will figure it out. Hopefully, Chayse can battle out of it, maybe get a good prognosis. If not, I know she will support us and we will keep rolling.
” Stinnett led Greenwood with 13 kills. “Bowling Green is tough,” Greenwood coach Nicole Whitson said. “We knew going into this that it was going to be a tough match.
We did not execute well tonight.” Bowling Green will host Warren Central at 7 p.m.
on Sept. 24. Greenwood returns to action with a pair of games on Saturday, hosting Ensworth (Tenn.
) at 9 a.m. and North Oldham at 1 p.
m..
