HILLIARD — After the first few minutes, it looked like the Centerburg Trojans were headed to another district title.
Then, it all fell apart.
The volleyball team’s dream of a regional bid fell short on Saturday as the Trojans lost to Bishop Ready in three games, 25-15, 25-14, 25-21.
The Trojans were red hot coming out of the gate, taking a quick 7-3 lead. However, with Ready’s Karley Kusan serving, the Silver Knights rattled off eight straight points. Some came from well-placed serves. Others from unreturnable smashes. Either way, Centerburg couldn’t recover.
“That’s the game of volleyball,” said Centerburg head coach Ami Stevens. “Volleyball’s very much a momentum sport. It happens when you don’t have the energy. It’s hard to get back once you’ve lost it.”
The streak turned into a run that the Trojans could not stop. The Knights closed the game with a 7-2 run, then jumped out to a 14-4 lead in the second.
Centerburg finally recovered, scoring a 7-1 run thanks to two Tristen Simpson kills and a great block by Kendall Compton. However, unlike Centerburg’s previous opponents, Ready didn’t come unglued. The Knights immediately picked up a 10-3 run to claim Game 2.
“They fought hard to try to recover,” said Stevens. “But, Bishop Ready played extremely well. They have hitters that put the ball down well. At crucial times when we were getting back momentum, they would shut it down.”
Both teams came out hot in Game 3, with few unforced errors. Although Centerburg’s only lead in the game came with the score 2-1, there was a sense that, at any point, the Trojans could strike hard and pull away. But it never happened.