Lady Knights a work in progress
Jimmy Lewis WILSON DAILY TIMES
Staff Writer
The 2016 won-lost record will reflect an improved Greenfield School varsity volleyball team over that of seasons past.
But Wednesday’s brisk 25-22, 25-13, 25-11 loss to unblemished Kerr-Vance Academy in the Greenfield gym did more to mask the degree of improvement for the Lady Knights instead of putting it on full display.
Greenfield (6-8) of the 1-A Coastal Plain Independents Conference twice dug eight-point deficits in the opening set before attempting to mount rallies. The Lady Knights closed to within 23-21 and 24-22, but on set point, senior Anna-Merritt Hauser’s kill attempt sailed long.
Kerr-Vance, a 1-A member of the split 1-A/2-A Coastal Independent Conference, climbed to 13-0.
“I hate to say it, but we really didn’t play our best,” first-year Greenfield head coach Jadelyn Castillo said. “The first (set), we did pretty well. We tried to pick it up, but it was just a very strong team. I think that’s the best team we’ve played so far, and I give that to them. However, our girls have come very far. They have won, they have lost a few matches, but overall, they have improved a lot.”
Greenfield didn’t go away immediately in the second set, winning the first point and forging three ties. But from a 9-7 Spartans cushion, Abbey Boyd served KVA to a 16-7 lead, forcing Castillo and the Lady Knights into a timeout.
The deficit never dipped below seven points, with Boyd’s kill ending the set and put Greenfield down 2-0.
On a KVA roster featuring just two seniors and seven sophomores, one of those sophomores led the way in kills. At a lengthy 5-foot-10, Sydney Tippett posted 15 kills and posed problems for Greenfield along the front line.
Third-year Spartan head coach George Hoyle, who assessed Greenfield has improved “one hundred percent” from last season, witnessed a turnaround from his squad over the final two sets.
“We passed the ball a little better,” Hoyle said. “In the first set, we did not pass the ball well, we did not move well and we were not talking. In the second set, we got a little better with our movement, but we still lacked the communication. In the third, we put it all together and that’s why we were able to do what we did in the third.”
The Lady Knights never led in the third set, falling behind 4-0 and 8-2. From there, the serving of Alexis Reese gave the Spartans an overwhelming 14-2 lead. Kassidy Dickerson finished with five aces for KVA.
Greenfield, which was able to extend its share of rallies defensively, attempted to hold its own behind the hitting of Caroline Stone, Kaelyn Wall, Emma Brown, Sumer Hassan, Catherine Alvarez and Hauser. Brown and Hassan had Greenfield’s longest serving strings, both in the opening set.
A nonconference trip to Rocky Mount Faith Christian awaits on Monday for Greenfield.
Despite the sweep, Wall, a third-year player, has noticed the change in message around the program.
“We’ve definitely improved,” Wall said. “Our passing and hitting has definitely gotten better.”
Jimmy Lewis WILSON DAILY TIMES
Staff Writer
The 2016 won-lost record will reflect an improved Greenfield School varsity volleyball team over that of seasons past.
But Wednesday’s brisk 25-22, 25-13, 25-11 loss to unblemished Kerr-Vance Academy in the Greenfield gym did more to mask the degree of improvement for the Lady Knights instead of putting it on full display.
Greenfield (6-8) of the 1-A Coastal Plain Independents Conference twice dug eight-point deficits in the opening set before attempting to mount rallies. The Lady Knights closed to within 23-21 and 24-22, but on set point, senior Anna-Merritt Hauser’s kill attempt sailed long.
Kerr-Vance, a 1-A member of the split 1-A/2-A Coastal Independent Conference, climbed to 13-0.
“I hate to say it, but we really didn’t play our best,” first-year Greenfield head coach Jadelyn Castillo said. “The first (set), we did pretty well. We tried to pick it up, but it was just a very strong team. I think that’s the best team we’ve played so far, and I give that to them. However, our girls have come very far. They have won, they have lost a few matches, but overall, they have improved a lot.”
Greenfield didn’t go away immediately in the second set, winning the first point and forging three ties. But from a 9-7 Spartans cushion, Abbey Boyd served KVA to a 16-7 lead, forcing Castillo and the Lady Knights into a timeout.
The deficit never dipped below seven points, with Boyd’s kill ending the set and put Greenfield down 2-0.
On a KVA roster featuring just two seniors and seven sophomores, one of those sophomores led the way in kills. At a lengthy 5-foot-10, Sydney Tippett posted 15 kills and posed problems for Greenfield along the front line.
Third-year Spartan head coach George Hoyle, who assessed Greenfield has improved “one hundred percent” from last season, witnessed a turnaround from his squad over the final two sets.
“We passed the ball a little better,” Hoyle said. “In the first set, we did not pass the ball well, we did not move well and we were not talking. In the second set, we got a little better with our movement, but we still lacked the communication. In the third, we put it all together and that’s why we were able to do what we did in the third.”
The Lady Knights never led in the third set, falling behind 4-0 and 8-2. From there, the serving of Alexis Reese gave the Spartans an overwhelming 14-2 lead. Kassidy Dickerson finished with five aces for KVA.
Greenfield, which was able to extend its share of rallies defensively, attempted to hold its own behind the hitting of Caroline Stone, Kaelyn Wall, Emma Brown, Sumer Hassan, Catherine Alvarez and Hauser. Brown and Hassan had Greenfield’s longest serving strings, both in the opening set.
A nonconference trip to Rocky Mount Faith Christian awaits on Monday for Greenfield.
Despite the sweep, Wall, a third-year player, has noticed the change in message around the program.
“We’ve definitely improved,” Wall said. “Our passing and hitting has definitely gotten better.”
