Northwest rallied for a dramatic 19-25, 25-23, 18-25, 25-22, 16-14 victory over Adams Central, (Terry Douglass, Central Nebraska Today)
GRAND ISLAND — Ava Janulewicz hammered home six kills and a block in the decisive fifth set as Northwest rallied for a dramatic 19-25, 25-23, 18-25, 25-22, 16-14 victory over Class C-1 No. 8-rated (Omaha World-Herald) Adams Central on Tuesday night.
The Class B Vikings (13-6) overcame multiple deficits on their home court, including a 9-5 hole in the final set and a 14-13 disadvantage before closing with a 3-0 run. Janulewicz finished with a match-high 26 kills — 15 of them coming in the final two sets — while teammate Elli Payne added 19 kills. Kenna Bowman paced the offense with 43 assists.
Payne kept Northwest afloat early, notching 14 kills through the first three sets as the Vikings struggled to find rhythm against a potent Adams Central attack.
The Patriots (12-5) looked poised for a road win, taking the first set and building leads in each of the next three. Isabel DeJonge led Adams Central with 23 kills, while Kinlee Hinton and Ava Katzberg added 12 apiece. Katzberg also contributed three blocks. Peighton Hinton (21) and Brynn Smith (20) combined for 41 assists.
Adams Central led 11-7 in the fourth and 14-13 in the fifth, but couldn’t close out the match. Janulewicz tied it with a kill, and after a Patriots’ attack error, she teamed up with Nasya Anderson for a match-ending double block.