Dunbar’s five-set thriller over Douglass looks like a postseason volleyball preview
Even just a few games into the high school volleyball season, No. 4 Paul Laurence Dunbar and No. 9 Frederick Douglass appear on a collision course for the 11th Region Tournament come October.
They were the only two Lexington teams in the Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association preseason top 25. And while there certainly could be spoilers along the way, including No. 17 Great Crossing, the defending region champion, Douglass and Dunbar appear to have the balance and experience to see them through.
Dunbar already had knocked off three ranked teams, including Great Crossing, heading into Tuesday’s match with the Broncos. And Douglass has two wins against ranked opponents and took No. 7 Notre Dame to five sets last week after falling behind 2-0 at home.
So, it should come as no shock that these top contenders delivered a thrilling, five-set match Tuesday night at The Farm.
Dunbar (5-0) rallied from down two sets to one to defeat Douglass 25-21, 19-25, 22-25, 25-20 and 15-10.
Key plays came from all over as Isabela Haggard set up Nyla Gaines, Delaney Gash and Ava Jackson for their hammer blows, and libero Mia Telechbush and Emma McDowell delivered tough serves and clutch digs. The Bulldogs trailed 6-2 in the fourth set before regaining their footing.
“It was a little difficult, but I would just say we lost our focus … and it took us a second to get back into the groove of things,” said Gaines, a senior middle blocker. “We needed the energy. We were kind of dead. At that point, I was like, ‘I’m just going to try my best to bring energy to the game.”
With so many tough, early-season tests, both coaches had problems with player injuries, but more so Douglass, which played without senior setter Jamison Gordon, but got an outstanding effort from junior Masyn Thayer who substituted in the playmaking role.
“Masyn hasn’t had the reps this year, however, she ran her offense really well,” Douglass Coach Kate Topley said. “I was really, really proud of her. She took command and she ran the floor.”
The Broncos (6-3) looked like the more confident team in sets two and three, taking control of both frames early and forcing Dunbar to play catch-up in each. Douglass stayed in a number of points thanks to digs by Peyton Hollon and Nelaney Bivins and blocks from Brooke Turner and Torii Starks among others.
“We knew regardless if their setter was going to be here or not that we were going to have to come and play,” Dunbar Coach Jenni Morgan said. “You’ve got to be able to come out on any given night on any given team and be ready to go out and battle and compete because you know the other team is coming for you.”
Top-flight teams are strewn throughout both Dunbar’s and Douglass’s schedules as both look to prepare themselves for a run to the state tournament.
“Our big focus is when we step on the court, we want to be better than where we left off the next time,” Morgan said. “We’re only five games in. It seems like a really long season, but it’s really just only started.”
A loss in August doesn’t bother Topley, especially against a Dunbar team that provides such a challenge and an opportunity to improve.
“I’m pleased with where we are at for an August base team,” Topley said. “Come October, we need to be running a little cleaner, our offense needs to be able to connect a little bit faster and more consistently. But that’s that’s why we have September — to get those reps and to figure out where the issues are, focus and clean them up.”
Morgan fully expects Dunbar’s path to a region championship to have to go through Douglass at some point.
“We’ll see them again, absolutely,” Morgan said. “Douglass is a great team. Kate has done a great job with them and they are very talented. We knew coming in here it was going to be a battle and that’s what it was. We didn’t expect anything less.”
This story was originally published August 31, 2022 at 7:58 AM.
