By By BRIAN HAINES, Sports Writer
JAMESVILLE — Jamesville wrapped up its regular season in style as it swept rival Bear Grass 25-23, 25-18, 26-24 on Tuesday.
The season finale win over the fellow Tideland Conference Bears gave the Bullets a perfect 10-0 conference record and a 15-1 overall record.
Bear Grass ended the regular season a game above .500 at 9-8 overall, with a conference record of 6-4.
The Bears hung with the top team in the Tideland in all three games, but when it came down to crunch time the team could not come up with big plays.
“We were just too inconsistent,” said Bear Grass coach David Eubanks. “We were close at the end of each of the games, but when you have a close game it all comes down to who makes the last two or three points. Tonight, Jamesville made all the final plays at the end of all three games.”
Jamesville coach Carrie Jones was happy her team could finish with a perfect conference record, but wished her Bullets played a little crisper.
“I’m very proud of the girls,” Jones said. “We didn’t play really well tonight, but overall I told them that I’m really proud of the way they played this season.”
The Bullets got strong performances at the net from seniors Page Lilley and Haley Bowen, as well as junior Ashley Mobley.
Fellow seniors Corey Ange and Holly Knott were seemingly everywhere else.
The Bears countered up front with Kaitlyn Sitterson, who made several key plays throughout the night. Taylor Johnson and Olivia Peaks also stepped up for Bear Grass.
The two teams tied eight times in the first match, the last time being when Bear Grass knotted the score at 22 all. However, errors down the stretch killed the Bears as they fell 25-23.
In the second game, Jamesville used a 12-6 run early on to put some distance between the two teams. However, Bear Grass clawed back into the game and cut the Bullets’ lead to 20-18.
Once again, the key plays were made by Jamesville late in the match as it ended the game on a 5-0 run.
Jamesville jumped out to a 14-5 lead in the third game. The nine-point margin was the biggest lead either team had all day.
The Bullets squandered their lead, and when the Bears Sitterson notched another of her several kills, the score was 17-16 Jamesville.
Bear Grass would pull within a point three more times before finally tying the match at 24, but Jamesville always seemed to have an answer as it won 26-24.
“We just kept working to make plays when we needed to,” Jones said.
Next up for both teams is the Tideland Conference tournament, which begins next week.