Kayla Podgurski’19 goes for a kill against a blocker from the opposing team
After a loss to Grandview Heights early in the season, the Columbus Academy volleyball team was looking to redeem itself in a tough match-up on Thursday, September 15. The Bobcats had a season record of 8-5 entering the game, while the Vikes were at 3-5. In the previous meeting, Grandview won the match in three sets but not without Academy putting up a good fight, holding up Set 3 22-25.
Now with more experience and three wins under its belt, the team started the game strong, winning the first set 25-21. But the Bobcats responded with a 25-23 win in the next set, evening the score. Despite valiant efforts from the team, Grandview Heights proved to be an exceptionally strong team, trumping the Vikings 25-11. With a win on the line, the Bobcats squeaked by with a win in the fourth set, 25-20, even with the Vikings staging a comeback with a much closer score than the third set.
Notable players included co-captains Kami Tibbles’17 leading the team with 25 assists and 4 service aces, with fellow senior Madison Smith’17 serving 3 aces. Kayla Podgurski’19 totaled the most kills of the night with 9, and Maddie McAfee’19 had two major blocks. Co-captain Morgan Hamilton’17 and Sophia Freytag’20 each had an impressive number of digs, with 20 and 16 digs respectively.
When asked to reflect on the team’s standings at this time in the season, head coach Heather Gepper said, “We’re working on it and getting ready to peak. [The team] started the year out with a tri-match at CSG, and we’re night and day from where we were then. [The girls] are improving immensely; if we keep working hard and getting better and better, we can get to where we want to be.”
Grandview Heights is in the same conference as Academy, which means that the Vikings will potentially face the Bobcats one last time this season at MSL league meet.
The volleyball team has two matches next week against London, whose record is 6-1, on Tuesday, September 20, and on Thursday, September 22, against Bexley, standing at 3-7.
