Trojans girls volleyball loses to visiting Crown Point, 3-1, but dominates third set, 25-10

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

Crown Point extended its girls volleyball winning streak against Chesterton to 35 matches, but wrapped inside the loss was one phenomenal set during which the Trojans showed just how much talent they have and how good they can be when everything is clicking.
The box score shows that Crown Point won 3-1. It also shows that Chesterton won the third set 25-10. That simply doesn’t happen to Crown Point, but it did Thursday night in a raucous Chesterton gymnasium.
Sophomore libero Delaney Barrett not only sent her serves to the right spot on the floor, which is to say where the Bulldogs’ exceptional libero Bella Del Real was not, she also had her serves dipping at the very last instant. That gave Chesterton two advantages that it didn’t have for much of the rest of the night. First, whoever received those serves wasn’t as skilled a passer as Del Real because nobody in the gym passes as well as her. And the action on the Barrett’s ball made it tough for the Bulldogs to turn into something productive.
In the same set, junior Luca Bombacino emphatically showed why Michigan extended a scholarship offer that she accepted.
Bombacino repeatedly soared, wound up and delivered accurate, steep, high-velocity shots the likes of which aren’t often seen in high school matches.
“Whenever she has the hot hand, she cannot be stopped,” said Barrett, who also lent good defense and spot-on passing to the cause. “And she was our hot hand in the third set.”
Bombacino indeed was on fire.
“I feel like the connection with the setters is really getting there,” she said of the third set domination. “And we stuck to the game plan that worked for us.”
Bombacino’s all-around game isn’t as developed as that of senior Tenley Davis, who will be at Loyola of Chicago next year on a volleyball scholarship. Bombacino knows where she needs to get better, is smart enough to ask Davis how she shored up former weaknesses.
“My defense, I definitely need to improve on that,” Bombacino said. “And my blocking as well, I definitely need to improve on that. I’ve asked her about those things many times. She’s helped me so much and taught me so much throughout her years here. It’s really great to have someone who’s older and can kind of lead me through those times that she went through the year before.”
Maddie Gilliam, the third player on the team to accept a Division I scholarship, was offered a full ride by Butler University on Labor Day and accepted it. She scored the final two points of the third set, drilling the floor with steep kills, the sort of shots that will make the setters look for her more regularly, which will make the jobs of Davis and Bombacino easier because opposing defenses will have more to think about.
“It was a really good feeling in that third set,” Barrett said. “We were so hyped and happy to be playing. We were all happy to be there with each other.”
Bombacino called attention to Barrett’s play.
“Delaney did amazing. She’s doing great. Her serves are insane,” Bombacino said. “I’m glad I’m not on the other side of the net for those. That’s a big factor for us and that was 90% of what won us the third set.”
Chesterton principal Brent Martinson, part of the big corwd, had his night made when Davis responded to being told “next time,” by saying, “I’m tired of next time.”
Davis is 0-10 vs. Crown Point. She wanted the streak snapped Thursday and she played like it and led like it to no avail.
In the end, Purdue-bound Elle Schara, fellow high flyer Camryn Hadt and Del Real were too much for the Trojans (12-3, 3-1) to handle and Crown Point (11-1, 4-0) came out of the night lone in first place, Chesterton alone in second as the only team besides Crown Point with a conference record above .500.
The next time will be Sep. 30 at Crown Point. After that, the schools don’t play in the same 4A sectional, so it would have to be at some point later than that in the postseason.
Crown Point is in the Lake Central sectional, along with Hammond Central, Hammond Morton and Munster.
Chesterton plays host to Hobart, Merrillville, Portage and Valparaiso.