By Kyle Roberts
RUSTON, La. — Ruston High (12-9) fell in straight sets Monday night to Calvary Baptist Academy (15-16) by final scores of 25-17, 25-22 and 25-10 in the school’s main gymnasium.
The Lady Bearcats were without sophomore Bridget Crittenden, freshman Mackenzie Roach and junior Leigh Johnson due to various injuries, while a few players were called up to join the lineup in freshmen Kennedy Willis, Ava Madden and Addy Lou Gressett.
“We were down some players tonight, so we saw some new faces tonight,” Ruston High head coach Mandy Cauley said. “I think it had an effect on our chemistry, and we just weren’t able to get going.”
The Cavaliers jumped out quickly to a 6-1 lead over the Lady Bearcats in set one before junior Jane Ramsey strung together a block and kill in back-to-back points to cut the lead to 6-3. After a large run by Calvary, Ruston put together a 5-0 run of its own to pull to within five points 15-10. The Cavaliers would maintain the lead throughout and took the first set 25-17.
In set two, Ruston was far more competive, jumping out to a 12-7 lead, thanks in large part to multiple aces by juniors Brooklyn Bissell and Baylor Cauley. Calvary responded a few points later by starting a 6-0 run and getting up 17-13 over the Lady Bearcats. After a back-and-forth battle, though, the Caveliers held Ruston off late to win 25-22.
In set three, Ruston’s 4-2 lead vanished fast, and Calvary Baptist stayed steady down the stretch to win 25-10.
Unofficially, Baylor Cauley finished with four kills on the night, while Ramsey finished with three kills and three blocks.
Ruston returns quickly to action tonight on the road to take on Byrd.
“We have a packed couple of weeks coming up,” Cauley said. “We’ll need to keep improving as we get closer to the postseason, and we have a lot of chances to do that.”
