Although Bainbridge volleyball swept North Mason 3-0 Oct. 10, the Spartans struggled to finish the Bulldogs in the final set.

“They have made that third set interesting a few times,” Bainbridge coach Andy Stephens said. “We have been able to pull it out but they made it more interesting than the first two sets would have made it look.”

The Spartans took an early 13-4 lead in the first set with a handful of aces from Emma Pendleton and Holley McFadden. The Bulldogs tried to fight back but struggled when Rollins Anderson and Cate Torrell picked up some kills. Lola Batcheller ended the first set at 25-11 with an ace.

North Mason stole the momentum early in the second set, leading to a 7-7 tie. “We just need to stay focused and disciplined on what each player needs to do,” Stephens said.

Pendleton’s defense began to shut down the Bulldog offense in the second set. She dove for balls that led to kills. “I’ve got one heck of a libero back there,” Stephens said of Pendleton. “Our defense was our big strength last year, and I have gotten away from it this year. Now, I got hitters and gave my setters weapons all around the court.”

North Mason crumbled as the Spartans took a 19-12 lead. McFadden ended the set 25-13 with three kills and three aces for the final six points.

“It’s fun to watch” McFadden, Stephens said. “She needs to hit smart because other teams have blockers. It is about our setters not making us predictable and our hitters whaling away and firing off those points.”

The Spartans looked unpredictable in the third set with several errors on their kill attempts and defensive efforts. North Mason held the lead until the Spartans tied it at 14-14. Both teams traded points again until McFadden ended it 25-20 with an ace and a kill.

Emma Pendleton leads the Spartans defense to a victory.