Highland’s volleyball team wasted little time in dispatching Columbus International in their second-round match of the Division II tournament on Thursday.

In their 25-4, 25-4, 25-3 win, Highland didn’t give up a single point to International’s offense and four of their 10 points came via errant serves.

Meanwhile, the Scots had no trouble scoring offensively. In the first game, both Krista Walters and Makenna Belcher had six-point runs and Bridget Oder finished the set with eight straight points to give Highland a quick win.

“Monday, I read an article about those games,” said head coach Rob Terrill. “You don’t want to win 25-0. You’d rather win 25-5 if your mistakes were because of aggressiveness.”

Terrill then played his back-ups for the majority of the second and third games, but the Scots didn’t miss a beat. After Highland opened with a defensive point, they got six points from Mikaela Brown. Darcie Walters added three points, Abby Eusey tallied six, Kenzee Bargnesi picked up three and Tabitha Arnold got a pair as the team took a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Scots got off to a slow start in the third set, but finished with a 20-point run. Leading 5-3, Highland got a defensive stop, followed by 12 straight points by Eusey. With the score 18-3, Terrill put seniors Walters, Parker Steck and Bailey Santo back in for their final home match. Steck then served six straight points before the coach pulled the seniors and Eusey returned to the service line to tally the game’s final point to end the match.

“I talked to them (the seniors) and asked them when they wanted to go in and they said, ‘Whenever you want, coach.’ which was nice,” he said. “They’re a great group of kids who’ve paid their dues and been part of the program the last six years. They’re a big part of where we are.”

Highland’s Parker Steck sets the ball in action from Wednesday.
http://www.morrowcountysentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2017/10/web1_parkersteck.jpgHighland’s Parker Steck sets the ball in action from Wednesday. Rob Hamilton | Morrow County Sentinel

Krista Walters serves for a point in her team’s win over Columbus International.
http://www.morrowcountysentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2017/10/web1_kristawalters.jpgKrista Walters serves for a point in her team’s win over Columbus International. Rob Hamilton | Morrow County Sentinel

By Rob Hamilton

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Rob Hamilton can be reached at 419-946-3010, ext. 1807. Connect with him on Twitter at @SportsMCS