Bruin closes season with volleyball win at home

Columbia won the first set against Seton, taking control when senior Ella Reed’s was at the service line. It was 12-12 when Reed’s ace started a 5-0 Bruins’ run, forcing Seton to call a timeout at 17-12. During the spurt, Sonya Rubio scored a point with a dink to the open space in the middle, Jessica Polkinghorn had a stuff block for a point and Claire Hayes delivered a kill shot to the far corner.

The timeout simply delayed the inevitable, as Reed delivered another ace and the Bruins scored again before Seton could regain serve at 19-13. The Bruins scored six of the next 10 points, capped by a Rubio ace on set point, for a 25-17 win.

Seton came back with a flurry in the second set, although neither team could mount sustained momentum for more than a couple of points. The Cougars used their advantage in the middle for a 25-19 win.

Columbia bounced back in the third set, 25-14, A highlight of the set came with Reed serving again for the Bruins with an 18-13 lead. A 33-touch, 40-second point ensued, as both teams were hustling around floor and fans were getting a thigh workout – up down, up down. Seton won the point, but it proved to be the last one it would get in the set.

The clinching set saw Columbia come back from a 15-11 deficit to take a 17-16 lead. After a Seton timeout, Columbia scored the next four points, forcing another Cougar timeout. It was 23-18 when Columbia scored the final two points – the 25th on a Polkinghorn block – for the match.

Four seniors, Rubio, Reed, Sydney Aman and Macee Barnes played in their final high school match for Columbia.