Edmond North 3, Norman North 1

It was the night the crowd was asked to where pink. It was a ranked opponent inside the North Gym, yet not ranked so high it would require an upset to walk out victoriously. It was the perfect set-up for the fifth-ranked Timberwolves to beat a good team as it begins its drive toward Class 6A’s volleyball postseason. Instead, after playing wonderfully to take the first set convincingly, the T-Wolves stumbled and Edmond North came to life, raising its game so high that even after North regained its footing, there was no coming back. When it was over, the seventh-ranked Huskies had prevailed 3-1 (13-25, 25-17, 25-18, 25-13). Despite the set scores, North's second-best set was likely the fourth. Yet, by then, the Huskies had reached a new level themselves. The statement belonged to Edmond North, a statement that might as well have been a question: If the Huskies are ranked seventh, how can there be six better teams in the state? Or, take the T-Wolves out of it and how can there be five? North fell to 16-6. Edmond North improved to 15-10. It was the third time this season the two program had met, each winning once previously. Ultimately, North had no answer for Kamryn Bacus, the tallest and hardest hitter on the court, who finished with 18 kills, 17 in the final three sets, and three aces. Meanwhile, North couldn’t get anybody going with any consistency. In the first set, North only registered one kill on the way to taking an 8-1 edge, yet it didn’t need more as Edmond North gave it point after point. However, by the end of the set, the T-Wolves were doing it themselves, led by Karlee Alonzo and Sydney Spencer, both with three kills. The rest of the match, Alonzo only got one more on very few chances and on many more chances, Spencer managed just three more. And while Jacqueline Wright came up with four kills, all after the first set, it wasn’t nearly enough to keep pace. Edmond North pulled away late, winning 5 of 6 points, to claim the second set, before getting out to an 8-1 advantage in the third and a 5-0 — and ultimately 18-9 — advantage in the fourth. North coach Stephanie Kane was disappointed with her team’s consistency and, once it fell behind, with its inability to maintain tactical focus, something that led to Bacus, defending at the net, keeping the T-Wolves from putting balls away. “I think it comes down to executing certain shots,” Kane said, “knowing what our matchups are across the net … I think trying to battle back was more on our mind that trying to execute the actual shot.” North wasn’t so much flat, as ineffective. The former was the issue in a four-set home-court loss to Stillwater on Sept. 4. Yet, after that one, North managed to knock off sixth-ranked Jenks, take a set off second-ranked Edmond Memorial at Memorial and beat Southmoore. Now the T-Wolves must rebound again. “We have a tournament coming up this weekend that we’re trying to focus on being more consistent,” Kane said of a trip to Jenks that begins Friday. “Trying to figure out what’s going on across the net and shot selections and setting up the defense correctly. It’s just more about solidifying personnel, position, who we set and when we set.” Kane said she saw some good things Tuesday, but not with enough frequency. “Can we do that more often,” she said. After the Jenks tourney, it gets kind of fun. North’s at Christian Heritage, the No. 1 team in Class 4A, on Sept. 25 and at Norman High for the season’s only Crosstown Clash two days later. Then it’s a home date with top-ranked Edmond Santa Fe before closing out the regular season against Bixby. Regionals arrive Oct. 9. Then, perhaps, another state tourney. “We’ve just got to execute,” Kane said.

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Edmond North High School Athletics

EDMOND NORTH 3, NORMAN NORTH 1

KYLE PHILLIPS

Norman Transcript | 9/20/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Kyle Phillips