Aberdeen Central found itself back in familiar territory Friday night.
The Golden Eagles had their fourth five-set match of the season and for the third time this year came up big when it mattered most.
Central defeated Spearfish by scores of 26-24, 19-25, 25-13, 15-25, and 15-12 to record the non-conference volleyball win at Golden Eagles Arena.
The Golden Eagles knew they were going to be in for a battle after knocking out Spearfish in the SoDak 16 last year.
“Last year, we beat them in the Sweet 16 game in 3 sets, so they came in wanting to win,” said Central senior Kenadi Withers. “They showed it, and they showed it well, but we just figured it out and we got it.”
From the start, it was apparent that Spearfish had multiple hitters who could score points as well as provide tough defense. That made Central earn every point.
“We knew this was going to be a really good matchup. Spearfish is a great team, and I know I looked up at the board at one point and they had three kids with double-digit kills,” said Golden Eagles coach Jackie Bindenagel. “They’re very balanced. They do a really nice job defending, so I’m just really happy that our kids settled in and finished.”
Lauryn Burckhard was able to find holes early on as she recorded seven kills in the first set alone, helping her team secure the win in extra points.
“It felt good. I know when I get up there, like some of it’s shot selection, just trying to go. But sometimes, I don’t even think, I just try to swing as hard as I can. And even when I get blocked … that’s when I just kind of swing and they go out, so I get lucky with those,” Burckhard said. “I just always try to start a big lead and then the whole team follows, and then we play as a great team.”
The Spartans found their footing in the second set as they controlled the entire set. The Golden Eagles struggled with offensive output and the defense from the Spartans.
“When our block slows down, then we can’t run a very fast offense and it really just starts at the net for us,” said Bindenagel. “So, when our block went away, our offense went away.”
Central knew about one of the Spartans’ main attackers, but the other caught them off guard.
“We’ve been planning our blocking all week to block number three, Addie Bouman. She’s a very good player. She was the one who we chowed down on all week and we worked on our blocking,” Withers said. “We just expected number three. None of those girls who had double- digit kills played last year. So, we just tried moving our blocks over, our defense had to shift it and we ended up figuring it out towards the end.”
They figured it out in a big way in the third set as the Golden Eagles ran away with 12 straight points to hold a 13-2 lead before closing out the set 25-13. However, the roles reversed as Spearfish gained traction in the fourth as the visitors forced a fifth set.
“I think we’re pretty tough to stop when we’re serving well and when our offense is running,” Bindenagel said. “When we’re good, we’re good and when things fall apart, it gets a little ugly out there.”
Going into the fifth set in a heightened environment, Burckhard wasn’t phased.
“I felt good. I believed in my team. I knew we could do it,” Burckhard said. “I said if we can play like we played in the third set, it was like 16-3 at one point. I was like let’s play like how we played. We know what their weaknesses are, we can do it. I trusted my team.”
Central exploited one of those weaknesses, the back corner of the Spearfish defense as the Golden Eagles got a couple push points there, something they practiced.
“Well, we play a game in practice where we just can’t swing. We just kind of have to push in spots so when we see an opening, we just know,” Burckhard said. “It doesn’t really depend on the team, sometimes it just happens.”
Withers kept her same mindset going into the shortened fifth set.
“New set. 0-0. Play games to 5,” Withers said. “First to 5, first to 10 and just do your best. Play your hardest.”
Withers finished off the match with the final kill in the middle of the court securing the win for the Golden Eagles.
“She needed that. She was a little tough on herself and we understand, like I get it,” Burckhard said. “And she got that kill, and that’s what she needed.”
Central also received a boost from its crowd in the victory.
“There was a seventh man on the court with our crowd tonight,” Bindenagel said.
The Golden Eagles host Sturgis Brown this afternoon at 1:30 before traveling to take on Sioux Falls Lincoln on Tuesday.
Serving: Aberdeen Central 87-94 9 aces (Cambryn Albrecht 26-28 3 aces, Lauryn Burckhard 15-16 3 aces, Mya Arampatzis 13-13 2 aces).
Hitting: Aberdeen Central 143-165 50 kills (Burckhard 57-64 22 kills, Arampatzis 33-38 8 kills, Jaidyn Forsyth 19-22 8 kills).
Setting: Aberdeen Central 165-165 43 assists (Alivia Miller 62-62 20 assists, Albrecht 54-54 16 assists).
Digs: Aberdeen Central 100 (Taylin Kleffman 27, Burckhard 23, Arampatzis 14).
Blocks: Aberdeen Central 12 assisted (Karlie Nieman 4 assisted, Kenadi Withers 3 assisted, Miller 3 assisted).
Records: Spearfish 8-5; Aberdeen Central 4-1.
