HPCA volleyball holds off Cornerstone
• Michael Lindsay | Enterprise Sports Writer
HIGH POINT — The few times things weren’t going its way, High Point Christian didn’t let it bring it down. Instead, the Cougars regrouped well against a solid opponent.
HPCA rallied late to win a pivotal second set and gain a clear advantage. Then, after narrowly missing out on winning in a sweep, it bounced back to close out a 25-21, 25-22, 24-26, 25-15 victory over Cornerstone Charter in nonconference volleyball Monday at HPCA.
“I was really happy with the girls fighting from start to finish,” Cougars coach Bridget Knower said. “I think that was really big for us. We didn’t have any really big dips. So they were just ready to play and corrected things that needed to be corrected — both in the sets and from the third set to the fourth.”
Emeline Martin had 15 kills and 2 1/2 blocks to lead HPCA (13-6), a perennial state contender currently ranked No. 6 among NCISAA 3A teams. Kennedy Powell added 14 kills and four aces, while Cameron Martin had 14 kills and 2 1/2 blocks. Carly Jarrell had 42 assists, and Jordan Karpovich had 12 digs.
“It was a good team response,” Emeline Martin said. “It wasn’t individuals — we were playing together and had lots of energy. And the response was excitement, even if we messed up. So, I think that was really good for us. I always know that we can do it. It’s just about making it happen.”
The teams were even late into the first set. But the Cougars won four straight points to lead 23-19, fended off a two-point spurt by the Cardinals (10-3) — ranked No. 11 among NCHSAA 1A West teams — and won the final two points on a kill by Emeline Martin and a ball out of bounds.
In the second set, Cornerstone, which reached the third round of the public school playoffs in 2019, pulled away to lead 20-14. But HPCA won seven straight points to lead by one. The teams were tied at 22 before the Cougars scored the final three points — including a kill by Emeline Martin.
“It was really good,” Emeline Martin said. “If you don’t have momentum, it’s really hard in volleyball. So, I think if we’d lost the second set, it would’ve been very different. … It was just playing like we know how to play. All together and everyone was ready to hit. No one was worried about making mistakes.”
HPCA led much of the third set, but again the teams were deadlocked late in the set — at 22-all, 23-all and 24-all. Two shots into the net gave the Cardinals the set. But the Cougars quickly built a big lead in the fourth set, leading 11-2, and stretched their advantage to 10 four times before finishing off the match.
“We really wanted to serve tough and keep them out of system, and I think overall we did that well,” Knower said. “Our blocking was very effective tonight, and our middles were on fire. Our setter, Carly Jarrell, did a great job feeding the middles — a strong middle hit is very hard to defend.”
HPCA returns to PTAC play this evening at Greensboro Day — kicking off a stretch of late-season games that includes matches Thursday at home and Tuesday, Oct. 5, on the road against defending 2A state champion Caldwell. So Tuesday’s match was a positive result heading into some key matches.
“We talked about it before the match: This team is strong and we want to use this to look toward the end of the season,” Knower said. “We love to see strong teams and we have Caldwell coming up. So, the more games like this that we can play, it’s just going to better prepare us for the end of the season.”
• Michael Lindsay | Enterprise Sports Writer
HIGH POINT — The few times things weren’t going its way, High Point Christian didn’t let it bring it down. Instead, the Cougars regrouped well against a solid opponent.
HPCA rallied late to win a pivotal second set and gain a clear advantage. Then, after narrowly missing out on winning in a sweep, it bounced back to close out a 25-21, 25-22, 24-26, 25-15 victory over Cornerstone Charter in nonconference volleyball Monday at HPCA.
“I was really happy with the girls fighting from start to finish,” Cougars coach Bridget Knower said. “I think that was really big for us. We didn’t have any really big dips. So they were just ready to play and corrected things that needed to be corrected — both in the sets and from the third set to the fourth.”
Emeline Martin had 15 kills and 2 1/2 blocks to lead HPCA (13-6), a perennial state contender currently ranked No. 6 among NCISAA 3A teams. Kennedy Powell added 14 kills and four aces, while Cameron Martin had 14 kills and 2 1/2 blocks. Carly Jarrell had 42 assists, and Jordan Karpovich had 12 digs.
“It was a good team response,” Emeline Martin said. “It wasn’t individuals — we were playing together and had lots of energy. And the response was excitement, even if we messed up. So, I think that was really good for us. I always know that we can do it. It’s just about making it happen.”
The teams were even late into the first set. But the Cougars won four straight points to lead 23-19, fended off a two-point spurt by the Cardinals (10-3) — ranked No. 11 among NCHSAA 1A West teams — and won the final two points on a kill by Emeline Martin and a ball out of bounds.
In the second set, Cornerstone, which reached the third round of the public school playoffs in 2019, pulled away to lead 20-14. But HPCA won seven straight points to lead by one. The teams were tied at 22 before the Cougars scored the final three points — including a kill by Emeline Martin.
“It was really good,” Emeline Martin said. “If you don’t have momentum, it’s really hard in volleyball. So, I think if we’d lost the second set, it would’ve been very different. … It was just playing like we know how to play. All together and everyone was ready to hit. No one was worried about making mistakes.”
HPCA led much of the third set, but again the teams were deadlocked late in the set — at 22-all, 23-all and 24-all. Two shots into the net gave the Cardinals the set. But the Cougars quickly built a big lead in the fourth set, leading 11-2, and stretched their advantage to 10 four times before finishing off the match.
“We really wanted to serve tough and keep them out of system, and I think overall we did that well,” Knower said. “Our blocking was very effective tonight, and our middles were on fire. Our setter, Carly Jarrell, did a great job feeding the middles — a strong middle hit is very hard to defend.”
HPCA returns to PTAC play this evening at Greensboro Day — kicking off a stretch of late-season games that includes matches Thursday at home and Tuesday, Oct. 5, on the road against defending 2A state champion Caldwell. So Tuesday’s match was a positive result heading into some key matches.
“We talked about it before the match: This team is strong and we want to use this to look toward the end of the season,” Knower said. “We love to see strong teams and we have Caldwell coming up. So, the more games like this that we can play, it’s just going to better prepare us for the end of the season.”
