Bloomington South volleyball shows it belongs in semi-state loss

Editor's note: This story will be updated.NORTH VERNON — It was a long road to the semi-state for Bloomington South's volleyball team.From a sub-.500 record three years ago, a senior class of seven helped lift the Panthers to their first elite eight in 49 years.But the hype caught up to South in the first set against mighty Center Grove. South bounced back and looked more like themselves but the Trojans were just too quick and too much, winning 25-8, 25-17, 25-21 in the Class 4A semifinal at Jennings County on Saturday, Oct. 31.More: Defense 'makes a statement' as Bloomington South football slams FranklinA 15-7 surge ended the second set in Center Grove's favor, and in set 3, South saw a 12-6 lead buried under a 14-4 run. Center Grove (33-4) will meet Yorktown in the final at 6:30 p.m."I think at the end of the day, we really showed them what we could do in the third set," said senior Everly Clark.But it won't tarnish anything South has accomplished and in fact leaves an important legacy for those who come back next year."Just to be here at semi-state is awesome," Clark said. "We never made it this far since the 70s. It's a big deal. I think it's setting in for us we're not just a good team with an easy schedule. We can compete with the harder teams, too. I hope we leave that legacy that Bloomington South is a volleyball school."The Panthers end a record-setting season at 29-3."Thank you for all seven of our seniors for helping build this program," said South coach Emma Abplanalp after her third season in charge. "For the kids that are younger, this is something they want to be in every year."So I think it's bittersweet because we're losing so many great people who helped create and mold this program. But it's so exciting for the upcoming classes because now we know we can be here."This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington South volleyball shows it belongs in semi-state loss