2A
Knights’ season ends in NCISAA second round
FAYETTEVILLE — Despite a hard-fought effort, the Greenfield School volleyball team’s 2022 season came to an end with a 3-1 loss at Northwood Temple Academy in the second round of the NCISAA 2-A playoffs Thursday evening.
The Eagles (17-6) of the 2-A/3-A Sandhills Athletic Conference won the first two sets 27-25 and 25-14, but the Knights of the 2-A/3-A Coastal Plain Independents Conference stayed alive with a 25-22 win in the third set. Northwood Temple, however, sealed the match with a 25-23 fourth-set win.
The game marked the end of the Greenfield careers of seniors Ysabella Saldi, Gracelyn Narron and Jeallen Holland.
“When I first came to Greenfield my freshman year, the volleyball team made me feel like family,” Narron said. “Through the ups and downs, I’ve enjoyed watching this team grow and seeing how much my underclassmen love this sport.”
In the opening set, the Knights raced out to a 16-9 lead, fought off two set points at 24-22 and 24-23 deficits and even took a 25-24 lead but just couldn’t quite close it out. Northwood Temple carried its momentum into the second set, zipping out to a 16-6 lead en route to taking a 2-0 match lead.
In the third set, with their backs against the wall, the Knights came up clutch to keep their season going. It was a back-and-forth frame, with Northwood Temple twice pulling ahead by three, only for Greenfield to come back.
The Knights trailed 22-20 late in the set, but ended it on a 5-0 run to keep the game going, securing the third frame with an ace from Holland.
“These five years on the varsity team have been the best I could have ever asked for,” Holland said. “We went through good times and uphill battles, but it made us closer and I appreciate the sport to the fullest.”
The Knights fought to the finish in the fourth set, which included two of Saldi’s game-high five aces. The Knights pulled ahead 12-8 before Northwood ripped off a 5-0 run to take the lead.
The Eagles seemed to have the set and match put away with a 22-16 lead, but, as has been the case all season, Greenfield didn’t quit. The Knights trailed 24-19 with the season on the line, and came up with four straight points to get within one. Kills from Darcy Dean and strong net play made it a 24-23 set, but Greenfield fell short on a tipped ball.
This Knights team was known for fighting for the finish, as, according to team statistician John Saldi, the 2022 team played more five-set games than any other in school history, losing three of those by just two points.
The Eagles will now take on 7-seed Freedom Christian Academy in the third round, while the Knights will look ahead to next season.
“Playing Greenfield varsity volleyball has helped me grow as a person and player,” Dean said. “My teammates are my family and I would do anything for them because I know they would do the same for me. I can’t wait to see what our seniors do in college and what the Greenfield volleyball program does as we continue to grow.”
Knights’ season ends in NCISAA second round
FAYETTEVILLE — Despite a hard-fought effort, the Greenfield School volleyball team’s 2022 season came to an end with a 3-1 loss at Northwood Temple Academy in the second round of the NCISAA 2-A playoffs Thursday evening.
The Eagles (17-6) of the 2-A/3-A Sandhills Athletic Conference won the first two sets 27-25 and 25-14, but the Knights of the 2-A/3-A Coastal Plain Independents Conference stayed alive with a 25-22 win in the third set. Northwood Temple, however, sealed the match with a 25-23 fourth-set win.
The game marked the end of the Greenfield careers of seniors Ysabella Saldi, Gracelyn Narron and Jeallen Holland.
“When I first came to Greenfield my freshman year, the volleyball team made me feel like family,” Narron said. “Through the ups and downs, I’ve enjoyed watching this team grow and seeing how much my underclassmen love this sport.”
In the opening set, the Knights raced out to a 16-9 lead, fought off two set points at 24-22 and 24-23 deficits and even took a 25-24 lead but just couldn’t quite close it out. Northwood Temple carried its momentum into the second set, zipping out to a 16-6 lead en route to taking a 2-0 match lead.
In the third set, with their backs against the wall, the Knights came up clutch to keep their season going. It was a back-and-forth frame, with Northwood Temple twice pulling ahead by three, only for Greenfield to come back.
The Knights trailed 22-20 late in the set, but ended it on a 5-0 run to keep the game going, securing the third frame with an ace from Holland.
“These five years on the varsity team have been the best I could have ever asked for,” Holland said. “We went through good times and uphill battles, but it made us closer and I appreciate the sport to the fullest.”
The Knights fought to the finish in the fourth set, which included two of Saldi’s game-high five aces. The Knights pulled ahead 12-8 before Northwood ripped off a 5-0 run to take the lead.
The Eagles seemed to have the set and match put away with a 22-16 lead, but, as has been the case all season, Greenfield didn’t quit. The Knights trailed 24-19 with the season on the line, and came up with four straight points to get within one. Kills from Darcy Dean and strong net play made it a 24-23 set, but Greenfield fell short on a tipped ball.
This Knights team was known for fighting for the finish, as, according to team statistician John Saldi, the 2022 team played more five-set games than any other in school history, losing three of those by just two points.
The Eagles will now take on 7-seed Freedom Christian Academy in the third round, while the Knights will look ahead to next season.
“Playing Greenfield varsity volleyball has helped me grow as a person and player,” Dean said. “My teammates are my family and I would do anything for them because I know they would do the same for me. I can’t wait to see what our seniors do in college and what the Greenfield volleyball program does as we continue to grow.”