Sports: Wesley Chapel empties bench in rout of Bartow

Wesley Chapel empties bench in rout of Bartow

By WAYNE GRUMET

WESLEY CHAPEL -- Wesley Chapel may have beaten Bartow during the warmup Tuesday night. The host Wildcats pounded set after set into the ground as Bartow prepared for the match.

Once the match started Wesley Chapel sprinted to a 13-0 first-game lead and were rarely tested in a 15-4, 15-8 win.

"We haven't played a team of this caliber. I could tell that we were intimidated during the warmups," said Bartow coach Tracy Baldwin.

"But we knew after the first game with those long volleys that we could give them a run for their money."

To its credit, Bartow (2-5 and 1-2 in Class 3A, District 10) did hold off two game points in the first game and led 5-4 in the second game. The Yellow Jackets boast just three juniors and no seniors.

Wesley Chapel (6-1, 3-0) was more concerned with getting everyone playing time in the second game. The Wildcats looked sloppy but still ran off eight consecutive points to take a 12-5 lead.

"This was a good opportunity to get everybody some playing time," said Wesley Chapel coach Julie Krull.

"The girls who normally don't get the playing time got a chance to shine tonight."

Wesley Chapel's starters overwhelmed Bartow at the outset. Senior setter Paula Clausnitzer collected nine of her 11 assists in the first game.

Junior Angela Medvid and senior Jamie Freund were on the other end of most of those passes. Medvid picked up all four of her kills in the opening game while Freund had four of her six kills in the first game.

Bartow again kept Wesley Chapel from finishing it off in the second game.

The Yellow Jackets fought off two match points but they closed with errors on their final three serves.