The Mt. Vernon Marauders volleyball team battled to the end, but they fell just short at home against Class 3A No. 2 Yorktown on Thursday night.
The Marauders grabbed the lead 25-21 after the first set as the dogfight between both programs lasted nearly two and a half hours on the court. In the end, Yorktown clawed its way back to win 3-2 in a back-and-forth Hoosier Heritage Conference showdown.
The visiting Tigers tied the match at 1-1 with a 25-23 second set victory before the Marauders rallied with a 29-27 third set win.
The fourth and fifth sets went to Yorktown, 25-13 and 15-9, but every point was earned with the 4A Marauders working hard on both sides of the net.
Jaclyn Bulmahn and Ashton Barr led the Marauders on offense with 21 kills apiece. Kari Kramer continued her solid play at the net with four blocks and seven kills on 15 swings.
Julia Wayer paced the defense with 36 digs. Bulmahn contributed 27 digs. Barr added 19 assists and 12 digs to her team-leading kills total on the night.
The Marauders, who dropped to 7-5 and 1-3 in the HHC, continue their grueling schedule on the road today to face 4A No. 3 Hamilton Southeastern. The Royals knocked off Yorktown earlier this week.
The match will start at 11 a.m. Prior, the Marauders will play Westfield at 9 a.m.
Cougars fall 3-0 to Trojans
The Greenfield-Central volleyball team lost in three straight sets to New Castle on Thursday.
The host Cougars dropped the first set 25-14 and the second 25-11. New Castle put the match away in the third with a 25-15 victory.
Avarie Powell led the Trojans with 13 kills. New Castle improved to 11-3 on the season and 2-0 in the HHC. Greenfield-Central fell to 4-5 on the year and 0-3 in the conference.
The Cougars travel to Southport today.
Jets soar past Royals
The Eastern Hancock volleyball team dropped their fourth straight match with a 3-0 loss to Hauser on the road Thursday night.
The Royals never found their rhythm, losing 25-6, 27-25, 25-7.
Haley Best had two aces and a team-high 11 digs in the match. Eriel Truitt added nine digs and five assists.
Leah Ferguson and Faithe Webster both finished with two kills apiece.
The Royals (6-9) will host South Decatur at 6 p.m. Monday.
