Opening their season at home, the Bradford volleyball team battled Otto-Eldred, falling in four sets, 3-1, as nerves and mistakes piled up.
Through the first set, the Lady Terrors jumped out to an early lead and despite a late-set push, the Lady Owls were unable to complete the comeback, falling 25-21.
“This was the first game of the season, so I think nerves were running high,” said Bradford head coach Haley Vinelli. “Otto has a few good hitters but they weren’t doing anything we couldn’t handle.”
In the second set, the Lady Owls settled down and found their footing. Fighting with a new found energy and aggression, Bradford quickly amassed a lead which would hold out for a 25-18 win, tying the match at one-a-piece.
However, going into the final two sets, the Lady Owls struggled to pull together as a team. With frequent miscues, O-E took advantage of their struggles, winning out 25-17 and 25-14.
Kalie Dixon and Haley Keane both ended with four kills while Addie Carter tallied three aces throughout the first match of the season.
“The last two sets we made a lot of silly mistakes and our communication took a turn,” said Vinelli. “Ultimately, our girls beat themselves tonight.”
Girls Tennis Elk County Catholic 6, Bradford 1
Facing off against Elk County Catholic, the Bradford girls tennis team came up short, losing the contest 6-1.
Through the four single matches, the Crusaders proved to be too much, winning by a comfortable margin in three. After Jaylee Koppenhaver, Sophie Cornelius and Sydner Hamer fell, Lilly Kemick pulled out the Lady Owls lone win of the day, beating ECC’s Sarah Hasselman 6-4 and 6-2.
Moving to doubles, the sister pairing of Lilly Kemick and Emmy Kemick suffered their first loss of the season, falling 8-2. Isabella Ramos and Ava Peterson fell 8-1 while Elie Curcio and Kalie O’Neil lost 8-2.
The Lady Owls play again on Tuesday, taking to the road to face DuBois.
Boys Golf St. Marys 217, Bradford 233
Taking on the defending District 9 champions, the Owls put forth a valiant effort but failed to come out on top.
Jake Franz led Bradford and medaled with a day-best 39 and five pars. Wyatt Stark shot a 44 in the loss, while Chase Wineberg finished with a 46 and both Talan Reese and Mitchell Brinsky hit 47s.
