Sports
Bloomington South boys volleyball makes big strides in first season
Late in the season, Bloomington South’s new boys volleyball team had its busiest day at the Columbus East Tournament ― and maybe its best day competing.
The Panthers lost to the host Olympians, beat Jennings County in three sets, then lost to Greenwood in a couple of close sets. And in that run, head coach Justin Hodgson saw a team starting to string stretches of good play together.
“The last three weeks, we were locked in on learning how volleyball works,” Hodgson said. “Our transition, how to sub in and having a well-oiled machine and knowing our rotations. Our biggest improvement is, mentally, we got a lot better.
“We learned more and played faster. I like where we’re headed. We achieved the ability to process and play at the same time.”
Alas, the sectional opener saw the Panthers fall 25-17, 25-13, 25-16 to Martinsville in the semifinals.
“I don’t think we realized the stakes yet, so it was not as overwhelming in an interesting way,” Hodgson said. “But in the second set, it got tight, and you could see them realizing the significance of what was going on and they tightened up. They handled the pressure well considering.”
It didn’t help that starting setter John Ward had to miss the match. He had been out after suffering a concussion after taking a ball to the head and was ready to return when he was in a minor car accident that triggered more concussion symptoms. So, JV setter sophomore Vinny Hristov got the call again, and Hodgson was pleased with his efforts.
Looking back, it didn’t take long for the Panthers to pick up their first ever win, coming against Terre Haute South in their second game of the season.
“It was good for them to get a win under their belt,” Hodgson said. “And to realize we could be competitive and be close and pull out wins. We got some others so it was a nice stepping stone into building up the program.”
When the season was done, it only seemed to whet the appetite of the players, with several ready to get back to practice or inquiring about summer and club options. A majority of the rotation were freshmen and sophomores and only two of the three seniors played on a regular basis, so there’s hope most of this group of trailblazers will be back for more.
“I think overall I’m quite pleased with the season,” Hodgson said. “It didn’t end like we would have liked but playing the last four week’s games without our starting setter, a lot of the kids stepped up.
“We made a good run despite the situation.”