HPCA aces Caldwell test with sweep
Michael Lindsey—HIGH POINT ENTERPRISE
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
HIGH POINT – High Point Christian continued to battle and found a way to earn a big win.
Trailing late in the first set, the Cougars rallied to take the early lead and then powered past Caldwell Academy 28-26, 25-15, 25-23 in a nonconference meeting of state volleyball powers Thursday at HPCA.
The Hitting for Hodgkin’s match also served to help raise money for local teenager Chloe Sinouanthavysouk, who is undergoing treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma, and her family.
“We were really happy to do it for Chloe, first of all,” junior outside hitter Sydney Rowan said. “We fought really hard. We were down for a while, but we kept going. (The first set) was a really big boost, because we were really able to get the momentum to continue to play the rest of the way.”
Rowan finished with 23 kills to lead HPCA (19-4), ranked No. 4 among 3A schools, while senior Chelsea Davis added six kills. Dakota Truhe, a sophomore, had 31 assists, while senior Caroline Phipps had 10 digs.
The Cougars trailed 20-14 late in the first set before winning nine of the next 12 points to tie the Eagles 23-23. Thrice Caldwell (15-3), ranked No. 1 among 1A schools, had set point, but each time HPCA managed to win the next point and re-tie the score.
And, finally, with a point by Truhe for the Cougars and then a ball out of bounds by the Eagles, HPCA, which also had a couple key blocks by Kyndall Vaughan, sealed the first-set victory, giving it a big lift that helped propel it the rest of the way.
“The way we fought back, the way we finished really was huge,” coach Bridget Knower said. “I think it was just about fight. Our girls just decided they weren’t going to lose, and they did the disciplined things they needed to do, found our offense and just stuck with it – just fighting.”
The Cougars, keyed by powerful play at the net by Rowan, used runs of 10-2 and 8-2 in the latter half of the second set to take a 2-0 lead. Then, trailing 19-15, they went on a 10-4 run to close the third set and clinch the victory.
“As a coach, I tell the girls: We can’t do big things until we do the little things right,” Knower said. “We focus on the small details a lot, and we want to continue to be consistent with the little things so that we can be consistent with the big things. So, it’s putting the pieces together and each person doing her part.
“It is a big confidence boost, for sure,” she said, “because we understand what we’re capable of, even when we’re down. We understand the importance of working together and having the fight that’s needed. And we talked about that, how the great fight we had tonight is what we need every match.”
HPCA returns to PACIS 2A/3A play at Forsyth Country Day on Tuesday and at Greensboro Day on Thursday before hosting top-ranked North Raleigh Christian on Oct. 9.
Michael Lindsey—HIGH POINT ENTERPRISE
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
HIGH POINT – High Point Christian continued to battle and found a way to earn a big win.
Trailing late in the first set, the Cougars rallied to take the early lead and then powered past Caldwell Academy 28-26, 25-15, 25-23 in a nonconference meeting of state volleyball powers Thursday at HPCA.
The Hitting for Hodgkin’s match also served to help raise money for local teenager Chloe Sinouanthavysouk, who is undergoing treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma, and her family.
“We were really happy to do it for Chloe, first of all,” junior outside hitter Sydney Rowan said. “We fought really hard. We were down for a while, but we kept going. (The first set) was a really big boost, because we were really able to get the momentum to continue to play the rest of the way.”
Rowan finished with 23 kills to lead HPCA (19-4), ranked No. 4 among 3A schools, while senior Chelsea Davis added six kills. Dakota Truhe, a sophomore, had 31 assists, while senior Caroline Phipps had 10 digs.
The Cougars trailed 20-14 late in the first set before winning nine of the next 12 points to tie the Eagles 23-23. Thrice Caldwell (15-3), ranked No. 1 among 1A schools, had set point, but each time HPCA managed to win the next point and re-tie the score.
And, finally, with a point by Truhe for the Cougars and then a ball out of bounds by the Eagles, HPCA, which also had a couple key blocks by Kyndall Vaughan, sealed the first-set victory, giving it a big lift that helped propel it the rest of the way.
“The way we fought back, the way we finished really was huge,” coach Bridget Knower said. “I think it was just about fight. Our girls just decided they weren’t going to lose, and they did the disciplined things they needed to do, found our offense and just stuck with it – just fighting.”
The Cougars, keyed by powerful play at the net by Rowan, used runs of 10-2 and 8-2 in the latter half of the second set to take a 2-0 lead. Then, trailing 19-15, they went on a 10-4 run to close the third set and clinch the victory.
“As a coach, I tell the girls: We can’t do big things until we do the little things right,” Knower said. “We focus on the small details a lot, and we want to continue to be consistent with the little things so that we can be consistent with the big things. So, it’s putting the pieces together and each person doing her part.
“It is a big confidence boost, for sure,” she said, “because we understand what we’re capable of, even when we’re down. We understand the importance of working together and having the fight that’s needed. And we talked about that, how the great fight we had tonight is what we need every match.”
HPCA returns to PACIS 2A/3A play at Forsyth Country Day on Tuesday and at Greensboro Day on Thursday before hosting top-ranked North Raleigh Christian on Oct. 9.
