Columbus East High School

The Columbus East girls volleyball team gave it their all on Senior Night, battling tooth and nail against the Bloomington South Panthers in the Orange Pit on Tuesday night. Despite an impressive comeback, the Olympians ultimately fell short, losing the match 15-11 in a thrilling five set battle. East started off slow, dropping the first set 25-15. However, they regrouped and raised their intensity, winning the second set 25-19. The third set was a nail-biter, with the Olympians narrowly losing 26-24. In the fourth set, East dominated, winning 25-17 to force a deciding fifth set. The Olympians took early control in the final set, jumping to a 9-4 lead, but Bloomington South responded with a nine-point run to gain the lead and were able to close-out the Olympians 15-11. This match marked one of the Olympians' better performances of the season, a stark improvement from their straight-sets loss to the Panthers in Bloomington South’s Invitational back on August 31st. Match Stats - Lilah Klei: 15 kills - Krea Martin: 35 assists - Kimberly Carothers: 2 solo blocks, 4 assist blocks, 7 kills, 3 aces - Lauren Smith: 12 digs - Jenna Thomas: 4 aces - Anika Jenkins: 10 kills - Claire Behnke: 5 assist blocks - Addison Emery: 9 digs - Chloe Gill: 8 digs The Olympians honored five seniors from the Class of 2025 during the night: Addison Emery, Jenna Thomas, Lauren Smith, Kimberly Carothers, and Rahianna Logan. Thank you Seniors for your hard work and dedication to the program the past four years! Now, the Olympians must regroup as they prepare to face their cross-town rivals, the Columbus North Bulldogs. The JV match is scheduled for 6 p.m., followed by the varsity match. Good luck, Olympians!