The wins keep piling up, and Bishop Brossart’s players keep pointing to the same reason for them.
Teamwork.
The Lady ’Stangs improved to 10-0 with a 3-0 sweep of Campbell County (25-14, 25-13, 25-9) at the Seither Sports Center in Alexandria, their second sweep over a district opponent.
The credit goes back to the team’s chemistry, positivity and willingness to put the team ahead of themselves.
“It’s all of us working together. We don’t play separately,” senior Callie Ritter said. “We all play together and as a team, and it really helps us and makes the team better. I started my seventh-grade year, and our team has been through so much stuff. We really need this and want this.”
It took that teamwork Tuesday night, including Ritter and sophomore Evelyn Laker.
Laker had 18 kills and three aces, while Ritter added 12 kills and five blocks.
“It’s just being aggressive,” the 5-foot-4 Laker said. “Going after everything, even if the set is off the net. I whip very far back and try to get up there, even though I’m not the tallest. I try my best to be aggressive and put the ball down.”
Ritter, on the other hand, used her 6-foot-1 frame to her advantage, but knows there’s more to her game than her height.
“Obviously, my height comes in handy, but also being able to hit through the block and being quick on my swings, too,” Ritter said.
The two were crucial to Brossart’s quick starts that put the Camels in a hole.
In the first set, Laker and Ritter combined for five of the Lady ’Stangs’ first six points during a 6-0 start. In the second, the duo accounted for two of Brossart’s first four points in a 4-1 lead. In the third and final set, they again provided five of the first six points as Brossart jumped out 6-0.
Campbell County never was able to dig out of the early holes and never took the lead.
The Camels trailed by double digits late in each of the first two sets before falling 25-14 and 25-13. In the third, Bishop Brossart put together multiple runs and never allowed Campbell County to reach double digits, closing out the set 25-9.
As much as the Lady ’Stangs’ attack caused problems for Campbell County, so did their defense, especially with Ritter at the net.
“It’s more of us finding the open court and being aware of a large block like that,” Campbell County head coach Alicia Rice said. “We’ve seen some blocks already this season, but they have a very strong, solid block in the middle. Finding that open court and not being afraid to try to hit the fingers, hit around the block. Those are things we’ll be working on.”
The Camels were led in kills by Amerie Mullins with seven and Chloe Hershey with six.
Brossart is the first 10th Region team to start the season 10-0 since Calvary Christian did so in 2021. After sweeping another district foe, Scott, last Saturday, the Lady ’Stangs have now beaten both Campbell County and Scott in the same season for the first time since 2022.
They’ve also won seven straight matches without dropping a set.
The players know playing together has been the key to their success, but head coach Danielle French sees it, too.
“It’s teamwork, coming together as a team,” French said. “If things aren’t going our way, they remain positive and build each other up. This group is such a good group, and they aren’t in it for themselves. They all have one goal, and that’s to make it to state. It’s nice to have a team like this as a coach. We do what is best for the team to get where we want to be.”
Bishop Brossart has a quick turnaround, traveling to Bracken County on Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. match before entering the 10th Region All “A” Classic. The Lady ’Stangs will face Paris in a semifinal Saturday at 11 a.m. at Calvary Christian.
Campbell County drops to 3-8 and also has a quick turnaround, hosting Walton-Verona at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
MORE PHOTOS: Provided by Charles Bolton
LADY ‘STANGS 3, CAMELS 0
BISHOP BROSSART — 25-25-25 — 3
CAMPBELL COUNTY — 14-13-9 — 0
Game Stats
Kills: Bishop Brossart 37, Campbell County 16
Aces: Bishop Brossart 11, Campbell County 1
Service Errors: Bishop Brossart 7, Campbell County 3
Records: Bishop Brossart 10-0, Campbell County 3-8
