Western Boone Jr. - Sr. High School

DOVER - A lot can change in a year. Last season when the Stars met Lafayette Central Catholic, they lost in four sets, the fourth loss in what was a six loss in seven matches stretch. This year, the Stars came into the match on a five-match winning streak, and pushed that to six with a 3-0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-16) win over the visiting Knights. "We talked at the beginning of this week that this was going to be the catalyst of the season," Western Boone head coach Laura Bragg said. "Last year we went 0-4, and now we have started 2-0 with two matches to go. We have to make sure that we are playing these quality teams we give ourselves a chance to win." Overall, it was one of the Stars best performances of the season, topping the Class 1A No. 2 Knights. LCC had won 12 matches in a row, but WeBo never let them get into rhythm. "I thought our service pressure was really good, especially from Olivia Smith," Bragg said. "Every time we needed a run, she stepped in and we got a run. We still have a lot of work to do and I want to make sure that we are still trending up and not just staying stagnant a little bit at the end of the year." All three sets followed a similar blue print. The set would be close early, and then the Stars would use a big run to pull away. A perfect example was in the second set, where the set was tied at 10. From there, the Stars went on an 11-1 run and never looked back. They used similar, albeit slightly smaller runs in each of the other two sets. "That's something we have focused on and we have been working on a lot of pressure situations in practice too," Bragg said. "We want them to stay focused and keep the pressure on at all times." Raegan Durbin led the Stars with 19 kills and 11 digs. Sadie Poeck had nine kills and a team-high 13 digs. Emmerson Gott had eight kills and Emma McClaine had five. Janie Ransom had 37 assists and 11 digs, and Olivia Smith had six aces and nine digs. "We have been getting good balance," Bragg said. "On Tuesday against Harrison, Isabel Grady and Emmerson really stepped up and contributed a lot. We are working on them getting more involved and even if it is just three or four a set, that helps a lot. Everyone is focused on Raegan and Sadie, but we have other girls stepping up too." The Stars have two big challenges on Saturday, facing Brownsburg and Terre Haute South. Then they get ready for a rivalry match-up with Lebanon on Monday. "Saturday's going to be tough, playing best of five, back-to-back against two good teams," Bragg said. "We have to make sure we are locked in mentally and physically. It is a good test of the post-season." Will Willems is the Sports Editor of the Lebanon Reporter. Follow him on Twitter @Will_Willems.