BLOOMINGTON
Center Grove is in a new sectional this year, but so far, so good.
The Trojans cruised past Greenwood 25-12, 25-16, 25-8 Thursday in a Class 4A sectional quarterfinal at Bloomington South. They’ll take on the host Panthers in a Saturday semifinal.
Center Grove (20-10) started fast and never looked back. The Trojans opened a healthy lead in the opening set, forcing Greenwood (19-11) to call timeout down 9-2. The Woodmen were able to settle in, but it wasn’t enough. The Trojans pulled away to take the set.
Starting fast like that is a point of emphasis for Center Grove head coach Jennifer Hawk, who said the match played out as she’d hoped and expected.
“I’m all about setting the tone early, set the standard high, establish yourselves, get some comfort, and just run with it. And that’s what they did,” Hawk said. “They were excited, they were ready to be here. The fact that it translated onto the floor was really fun to watch.”
The Trojans started the second set in similar fashion, jumping out to a 7-2 lead. But this time, Greenwood did more than just calm down. The Woodmen launched a comeback. Some key serves by junior Brooklyn Bell helped them cut the deficit to as little as three points.
But that’s as close as Greenwood got in the set. Center Grove responded in style, building back to a double-digit lead and taking the set by nine.
In the third, Greenwood hung in early. The Woodmen kept pace at 6-5, the closest they had the score beyond the first few points of a set in the whole match. But Center Grove turned it way up from that point on, and dismantled the Woodmen to close the match.
Sophomore middle blocker Reese Dunkle and senior setter Emma Leavitt stood out for the Trojans. Dunkle led the team with 10 kills, and Leavitt recorded a team-high 33 assists. Leavitt also served to begin the match, part of the reason Center Grove was able to establish a quick lead.
Greenwood was down one of its top players in senior hitter Mya Ayro. The UConn recruit was out of town on a cruise.
That certainly hurt the Woodmen in this match, but head coach Zachary Mackle was proud of the way his team battled in spite of the absence.
“It’s always an impact when you have someone missing — obviously, especially someone that’s athletic and talented,” Mackle said “But the girls rallied, and they found a way to fight and compete. Second set, we showed a little bit of life. And then the third set, we struggled a little bit here and there. But overall, I’m proud of the way the girls fought considering the circumstances.”
Saturday’s semifinal between the Trojans and Panthers matches up two teams who are very familiar with one another. Center Grove has defeated South twice this season — both in September.
But both teams are different than they were in both of those matches.
“It’s always interesting to try to beat someone three times. We both, I think, see their progress and ours, we both have gotten a lot better as the season’s gone on,” Hawk said. “Our last match against them just a few weeks ago showed that. We played them real early on, and then again, and both of us have just continued to get better. It should be a great match to start the day on Saturday.”
