LaGrange ends Baldwin volleyball campaign

Published 5:17 pm Friday, October 18, 2024

For the second regular season in a row, Baldwin High School volleyball placed second in its area to earn an opening round best-of-5 match in the Georgia High School Association tournament.

However, unlike last season, the Bravettes were unable to extend the campaign to the second round. On Wednesday, LaGrange High’s team ventured into Milledgeville and the James A. Lunsford gym from western Georgia and swept Baldwin 3-0.

It was long consecutive scoring streaks from LaGrange that ultimately did in the Bravettes. The home team played two competitive sets of 25-19 and 25-22, but the proverbial tank was low on fuel in the third set as the Grangers cruised to close things out 25-13.

The result also meant the end of a successful run on the court for coach Yuri Haynes’ nine-member senior class.

Baldwin’s early scoring of the opening set were on Janaye Walker’s long kill and a service ace inside the line from Madisyn Herman. The Bravettes led as much as four, 9-5, from kills by Kassidy Neal and Aniyah Harden.

At that score, LaGrange went on the first of its scoring streaks. They used scoring hits to close the gap to one point, 9-8, then Baldwin mistakes put the Grangers ahead 10-9. it was an 8-0 run overall closed out by a kill inside the back line and an ace for 13-9.

The Bravettes had some lengthy runs of their own, five in a row to reclaim the advantage at 14-13 as Harden hit the volleyball through blocks and Walker used her two-handed shot to score the tying point.

The next five rallies, however, belonged to LaGrange. The visitors led as much as seven, 23-16, before getting the six-point final win.

Two kills from Walker made the early difference in set No. 2. Baldwin withstood a smashing sideout kill by LaGrange to lead 5-4, then build that edge up to three at 8-5. Even though LaGrange used an ace to get even, Neal answered with a backline ace to get her side back in front 10-8.

The lead changed hands three more times during the set. LaGrange had two kills in a 4-0 run that was stopped by Walker’s one-handed score. She then dominated up front in one rally with block after block before getting the tying point 12-12.

Down 16-13, Walker’s middle hit switched serve – which she took herself – and notched an ace to go with Neal’s kill to get Baldwin ahead 17-16. When it was 18-all, LaGrange went on a 3-0 run with two kills. The long ace from Jaeda Grant of the Bravettes and Neal’s block evened things one more time, but at 22-22 LaGrange made the decisive 3-0 run to go up 2-0 in the match.

Even in the third set, Baldwin was getting on the board early with Jordan Brown’s assist to Walker, who had two kills of the five her team had to lead by one. It was five in a row, though, by LaGrange providing a lead it would never relinquish. The score was 8-5, and Kyla Lavester, entering the match for the first time, stopped the run using an assist from Teah Iossivov. Lavester also served a let ace trimming the lead to one, 8-7, but that’s as close as Baldwin would get.

The longest LaGrange run of the day, six in a row, followed, and a 5-0 spurt came soon thereafter (19-8). The Grangers advance to the Class AAA second round and again will have a long west to east road trip to play at Jefferson High in Jackson County.