By Paul D. Bowker
COLUMBUS JUNCTION
Esther Hughes, a senior at Hillcrest Academy, rose above the net and slammed the ball with a thunderous spike into the Columbus defense.
The Wildcats never stood a chance.
Hughes slapped her hands together emotionally, and celebrated by high-fiving her teammates.
Then, she did it again.
And again.
Three kills by Hughes in a 7-1 HIllcrest run in the fourth set on Tuesday night helped send the Ravens to their third win in fourth matches and their seventh victory of the season. After dropping the first set by a score of 25-17, HIllcrest won the next three sets by scores of 25-13, 25-23, 25-21.
The Ravens (7-19), who have won their most matches since 2018, host Southeast Iowa Super Conference rival Highland (9-11) on Thursday night. The JV match begins at 5:30 p.m., followed by the varsity.
Hughes, breaking out of a mini slump, had a match-high 10 kills and match-high 2 blocks against Columbus. She also had 3 service aces.
“It was great to see her snap out of it,” said Ravens coach Brandon Statler.
Hillcrest freshman Kylee Statler had a match-high 7 aces from the service line and 4 kills.
After falling behind by three points in the fourth set, the Ravens rolled through a 12-3 run that left them ahead of Columbus, 19-13. Hughes had four kills during that stretch. A strong block early in the match send the ball back into the faces of the Wildcat front-row hitters.
The Ravens shook off an 8-point run by Columbus in the third set to win by 2.
And after losing the first set, the Ravens’ first set loss since September 23, Hillcrest rolled in the second set by 12 points.
Malia Yoder, a freshman, added 7 kills. Yoder and Vlada Cornea, a junior, had 3 aces.
Hillcrest senior Norah Yoder had a match-high 21 assists.