Barlow posts career high in 5-game slugfest over Shorter
Fifth-year senior Kim Barlow produced her best hitting performance of her career with 34 kills as Bryan College outlasted visiting Shorter College in 5 games Monday night (32-30, 18-30, 28-30, 30-28, 22-20) in a non-conference match.
The match was closely contested almost start to finish, with extra points in the first and the last match. The Lady Lions, coming off a 2-2 weekend in which they played 3 matches to 5, appears to be comfortable going into a fifth game in a match. “We are definitely taking some strides as a team. We are learning to play with composure late in matches. Now we need to learn how to take control of matches early and put teams away,” commented Coach Sayles.
After taking the first game in extra points, the Lions were lethargic in game two, allowing The Hawks to pull away. “Shorter runs a slower offense than most of teams we face in conference, and we had to adjust to their game,” said Sayles. The Lions settled down a little in game three, but lost a 12-10 lead when Shorter scored 6 service points. The Lions chipped away at the lead, going ahead 28-24, only to give up a second run of 4, tying the game. Shorter put it away in the next rotation, 30-28.
Game four was hard fought, with 5 lead changes. Bryan held the lead at 28-26, when Shorter closed the gap, tying the game at 28. Kim Barlow came back with a back-row kill for 29, and Shorter misplayed the final point.
Shorter took a 2-point lead early in game 5, and maintained the lead most of the match, ready to put away the match at 14-11. Not to be outdone, however, the Lions held and tied the match at 14-all, forcing extra points. Neither team would break, pushing the match to 20-20, before Leah White served up an ace, and Kim Barlow finished the match with a termination from the middle.
"Kim definitely led by example tonight. We were lethargic in our first two games, even though she was hitting well. Once we were down 2-1, she came in with fire and took control of the game, putting balls down in front and in the back row. She has been pretty solid with her hitting all season, but she capitalized on Shorter's inability to stop the quick in the middle. As she gained confidence, we started feeding her the ball all over the court."
The Lions kept themselves in the match with 95% serving. OH Abby Humphrey, had an off-game. Although she posted her 6th double-double of the season with16 kills and 10 digs, she struggled with 23 errors. Along with her career-high 34 kills, Barlow added 5 solo blocks and 3 assisted blocks. She has hit in double figures in 13 of the Lions 16 matches this season. Libero Christine Pratt was solid in the back-row, posting 25 digs. Kathryn Rawley posted another double-double with 47 assists and 18 digs.
Bryan , now 5-11 overall (2-5 in conference), travels to Reinhardt on Wednesday for a non-conference match.