Columbus North coach Jeff Case looks on as his players gather before a match against Pike Wednesday in Memorial Gymnasium at Columbus North High School.
Tommy Walker | For The Republic
The Columbus North boys volleyball team scored a historic first win.
It didn’t come easy as visiting Pike gave the Bull Dogs a challenge, but North came away with a 25-17, 21-25, 25-15, 25-22 victory.
“It feels great,” North junior Leo Iorio said. “We’ve been working hard. We had our first tournament (Saturday), and we didn’t get the results we wanted, but it feels great to get the first win.”
This is the first year that boys volleyball is a sanctioned IHSAA sport. The Bull Dogs made their debut Saturday at the Carmel Invitational, where they went 0-4.
“Last year, it was a lot of fun, but this year, it’s a bigger magnitude, more, more pressure,” Iorio said. “It’s a great group of guys. We play well together. On and off the court, we’re really tight, so having them around you makes the pressure a lot easier to handle.”
The Red Devils jumped out to a quick 8-3 lead in the first set, but then North (1-4) climbed back into the set with seven straight pounts to lead 10-8. With the score tied at 16-16, North ended the set on a 9-1 run.
After Pike claimed the second set, the Bull Dogs used a 10-1 scoring run in the middle of the third set to lead 17-9. After trailing 8-7 to eventually take the set.
In the fourth set, the Red Devils again went out in front 9-4 early in the set. North fought back to score eight straight points to lead 12-9. The Bull Dogs then used another quick 4-0 spurt to later lead 20-14 and eventually closed out the match.
Iorio finished with 16 kills and four aces for North. Yuta Kondo recorded seven digs, four kills and three aces, and Sam Gutpa had five digs.
Also for the Bull Dogs, Kota Kondo tallied 22 assists and four digs. Ramu Alagappen served two aces, and Noah Dornfield added six kills.
“The guys have been working, and we’ve still got stuff to work on,” North coach Jeff Case said. “We can tighten some stuff up. We’re getting a little sloppy with our ball control a little bit and communication stuff, but it’s coming. They’re working hard… It’s been fun. They’re an interesting group. I just really enjoying working out with them, and they come in with a lot of energy. It’s been very rewarding so far.”
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