The Northmont Thunderbolts continued to show signs of growth and resilience last week, battling two strong opponents in Centerville and Beavercreek. While the Bolts came up short in both matches, the week provided several encouraging moments as the young Northmont team showed its ability to compete, respond to adversity, and put itself in positions to win.

Bolts Make Progress Against Centerville

On Tuesday, September 1, Northmont took on Centerville in a competitive four-set match. From the opening serve, the Thunderbolts showed they were ready to battle with the Elks.
Centerville narrowly took the opening set, 25-22, before gaining control in the second for a 25-15 victory. Rather than allowing the 2-0 deficit to end the night quietly, the Bolts responded.

Northmont came out determined in the third set and put together one of its strongest performances of the match, taking control and earning a convincing 25-16 victory.

The set win marked an important milestone for the program, as Northmont took a set from Centerville for the first time since 2020. More importantly, it demonstrated the growth of a team that refused to back down after falling behind.

Northmont continued to compete in the fourth, but Centerville eventually closed out the match with a 25-19 victory.

Although the final result went to the Elks, the Bolts walked away having shown they could respond to adversity and compete against a strong opponent.

Missed Opportunities Hurt Bolts Against Beavercreek

Two days later, Northmont faced Beavercreek in a match that showed both the potential of the Thunderbolts and an area they will need to improve moving forward: finishing sets.

Northmont came out firing in the opening set, building an impressive 16-8 advantage and controlling the early stages of the match. Beavercreek slowly worked its way back into the set, however, and Northmont struggled to regain the momentum. The Beavers completed the comeback to take the first, 25-23.
Beavercreek carried that momentum into the second set and controlled play on its way to a 25-10 victory.

Once again, though, the Bolts refused to fold.
Northmont battled back in the third and held a 22-20 lead, putting itself in position to extend the match. Beavercreek responded late, and the Bolts were unable to close the door as the Beavers escaped with another 25-23 win to complete the sweep.

The loss was a frustrating one for Northmont because the Bolts showed they were capable of controlling stretches of the match. They held significant leads in both the first and third sets but were unable to finish when the opportunity was there.

That experience provides another lesson for a developing Northmont team. The next step isn't simply learning how to compete with good teams—the Bolts are showing they can do that. The next step is learning how to finish them.

Despite the results, the week showed continued progress. Taking a set from Centerville for the first time since 2020 and building late leads against Beavercreek are signs of what this group is capable of.

Now, the challenge for the Thunderbolts is turning those competitive stretches into complete sets and, ultimately, complete matches.