High school volleyball: Gideon dispatches Bernie in four sets

GIDEON — Gideon and volleyball success are synonymous with each other.

The Bulldogs claimed two more matches over the weekend to surpass the 20-win mark, including Saturday’s four-set victory over Bernie by scores of 25-20, 25-12, 21-25, 25-21 in the Class 1 District 2 tournament semifinals.

Bernie proved hard to shake, but that’s expected when the postseason puts teams on the road to elimination.

Gideon�s Madison Bonee (17) puts up a block on Bernie�s Kealea Powell (26) during a Class 1 District 2 Tournament semifinal match dated Saturday, Oct. 21, in Gideon. The Bulldogs defeated the Mules in four sets, advancing to Monday�s championship. (Photo by Eric Viccaro, staff)

“I knew coming into the game against Bernie they would be ready to go,” Gideon head coach Kristen Ashabranner said.

“I knew we would have to work extremely hard to get the win,” Ashabranner continued, “and we did just that. In the first two sets, I thought we did the little things right. We served the ball over the net and played well defensively.”

Bernie and Gideon met each other in mid-August in a jamboree setting.

Gideon setter Jayden Buchanan runs the Bulldogs offense looking for either hitter Skyla Woodall (2), Lexis Fry (3) or Lexus Muller (18) during the Class 1 District 2 semifinal on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. (Photo by Eric Viccaro, staff)

Ashabranner thought that Bernie controlled the front row in the set the Mules won. It didn’t help that Gideon committed four service errors during the set.

In the days leading up to the contest, Gideon (21-8-1) didn’t play any matches. The Bulldogs also received a first-round bye in the district tournament. It was a matter of practicing, and practicing some more.

Ashabranner continues to juggle with the line-up, and Saturday’s alignment proved beneficial.

Gideon's Lexis Fry (3) goes for the kill while Bernie's Kealea Powell (26) attempts a block during a Class 1 District 2 Tournament semifinal on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, in Gideon. (Photo by Eric Viccaro, staff)

For example, sophomore Aubree Sharp was inserted into the line-up, and she served accurately to spots on Bernie’s side of the floor.

In an interesting twist, it was decided teams would switch sides between sets, which is something that hadn’t been done since the 2019 season.

Bernie requested the move, stating the half-circle window inside the gymnasium gave Gideon a distinct advantage. During the jamboree, there were two courts set up, and played didn’t look directly into the window.

Gideon won the first set by five points, with senior middle blocker Madison Bonee closing it out on back-to-back tips.

The Bulldogs dominated the second set, rolling to a 15-4 advantage before Bernie settled down.

A clever Gala Darmofal tip and an ineffective Mules double block combination sailed wide to ultimately give Gideon the second set.

Lexus Muller tried to stave off Bernie from winning the third set with a kill, but Bernie won Point No. 25 as a Bulldog attack was wide off the line. Rylie Powell and Alexa Dillinger played well late in the set for the Mules — along the front row and serving.

Bernie committed an attack error on match point. In turn, Gideon players scurried onto the court in celebration.