The Lady Bobcats volleyball team is set to have another long season ahead of them. They have started the season off 4-0, but can they keep rolling?

The Bobcats have six returning players from last season which ended in the state semifinals. Seniors Aubrey Bumblis, Alaina Malobabich, Jaedyn Brown, Anna Vinopal, Kailyn Connelly, and sophomore Kayden Blinn return.

Blinn will step into a new role as the setter replacing Zoe Ringer who graduated last year. Blinn had a small role as a hitter last season but will be taking on that bigger setting role and is expected to be a big factor in the upcoming season.

Some other players expected to take bigger roles are junior Kaylee Kisling and sophomore Giana Yaria.

The Ladycats’ first home game was September 9 ending in a win 3-0. They took on Eden Christian, a small 1A school.

This was a quick sweep for the Bobcats; Eden could not get their offense going due to the heavy presence of the Bobcats’ block.

“This was a great game to open our season with; I was very pleased with the outcome,” said Coach Suze Pollins on the team’s victory.

The next game was non-section against Oak Glen, the state runner ups in West Virginia. The Bobcats pulled out an impressive 3-0 win.

“We lost to them last year in five sets, so this was a game everyone wanted. I am so proud of my team for getting this win,” said senior captain Connelly.

Brown produced an impressive 14 kills followed by Connelly with five kills. Bumblis held down the back row with 12 digs.

Next on the non-conference schedule was Upper Saint Clair (USC). This was an anticipated match for the Bobcats due to losing the last time the teams met in the championship at the Cannon Mac tournament.

The game lived up to its expectations and was a thrilling four set match ending in a huge win for the Bobcats. Bumblis held down the back row with a season high 40 digs while Connelly ran the front row stacking up 20 kills.

USC’s hitters struggled to get by the block and Bumblis, so hey ended up relying on tips and roll shots. They did eventually get their offense rolling and were able to steal the third set. However, their momentum was short-lived due to the Bobcats bouncing right back and winning the game.

“I am so proud of my team—I think we fought hard and I’m happy we got the job done,” Blinn said on the recent win.

The next game for the Bobcats is September 16 at Central Valley. This is a section game starting at 7 p.m.

Can the Bobcats keep rolling? Find out in the next issue of the BASD ECHO!