New Palestine High School

The New Palestine volleyball team rallied from two sets down, but ultimately fell just short Saturday in a 25-22, 25-21, 19-25, 19-25, 15-13 loss to Mt. Vernon in the Pendleton Heights sectional semifinal. The match was tied 12-12 in the fifth set. It was the second five-set thriller played between the teams in a 10-day span. The Dragons' season finishes with a 26-6 record. Sophomore Sam Gooding tallied her 1,000th career assist in the contest and had 46 assists to go along with three kills. Bella Brownfield added 12 kills and 11 digs for a double-double. Natalie Sevier tallied 11 kills. Hayden Ramsey had eight kills. Rachel Burke also had eight kills and three blocks. Nyla Lewis tallied seven kills and three blocks. Azure Flagle tallied 22 digs and Makaeli Johnson 20 digs to lead a strong defensive effort. The Dragons' seniors - Burke, Brownfield and Lewis - were part of a program that went 98-24 over their four-year careers. "As a coach you just cannot be more proud of these kids," Dragons coach Kelli Gabehart said. "They absolutely battled. Going down two sets and forcing a fifth set proves how much fight this team has. They gave it their all and left it all on the court. The scoreboard today, does not define our season or how amazing these young ladies are. Everybody doubted us this year, and we proved a lot of people wrong. My team showed sportsmanship, class, heart and grit. Those are the life lessons that are far reaching."