HPCA volleyball sweeps Durham
BY MICHAEL LINDSAY
ENTERPRISE SPORTS WRITER
HIGH POINT — High Point Christian kept its strong late-season play going and advanced to the second round of the state playoffs.
The seventh-seeded Cougars started strong, rallied in the second set and finished off 10th-seeded Durham Academy 25-16, 25-21, 25-16 on Friday at HPCA in the first round of the NCISAA 3A volleyball playoffs.
“I feel like we started strong, which is good,” HPCA coach Bridget Knower said. “We had a streak where we couldn’t finish, but we came back. They’re fighters, and I love to see them fight together.
“It was fabulous,” she said of the second-set comeback. “These girls usually play consistent. But when they come down, they can put themselves back together and finish like they want to. It doesn’t always work in our favor, but tonight it did.”
Claire Cole had 13 kills and nine digs while Dakota Truhe had 30 assists and five aces to lead the Cougars (18-9), who visit second-seeded SouthLake Christian (27-3) in the second round Tuesday.
Hayden Hamlett had 11 digs, Fallon Evans had six aces and Carson Brooks had five blocks as HPCA, which won the PACIS with a perfect record, won its 10th match in a row.
“We feel really good, because it was the last home game for the seniors and I’m glad we could win for them,” said Cole, a junior outside hitter. “I thought our swinging and our ser ve-receive was really good — and our blocking too.
“It was really good, because a lot of time this season we’ve come out scrambling. But we star ted of f really strong this time. ... We were scrambling a lot (in the second), but our defense really picked it up.”
The Cougars won the first five points of the first set, used a 9-2 run to lead 17-6 and led by as many as 13 points before winning the first set 25-16. In the second set, they trailed 18-15 before going on a 10-3 run — keyed by strong ser ving by Evans — to win the second set 25-21.
HPCA then used a 14-4 run in the third set to overcome an early deficit. The teams traded points until Abigail Lyle’s kill gave the Cougars a 25-16 win to complete the sweep. The Cavaliers ended their season with a 10-17 record.
“The last couple matches, we have just been playing really dominant,” Knower said. “Tonight was a little bit of a dip in that, but I’m excited for what these girls are capable of doing. So, where we end up — that’s always the big question.
“But I think they are capable of beating anyone we play. So, we’re looking forward to Tuesday and going to SouthLake. We’re evenly matched in a lot of ways, but we’re looking forward to it.”
BY MICHAEL LINDSAY
ENTERPRISE SPORTS WRITER
HIGH POINT — High Point Christian kept its strong late-season play going and advanced to the second round of the state playoffs.
The seventh-seeded Cougars started strong, rallied in the second set and finished off 10th-seeded Durham Academy 25-16, 25-21, 25-16 on Friday at HPCA in the first round of the NCISAA 3A volleyball playoffs.
“I feel like we started strong, which is good,” HPCA coach Bridget Knower said. “We had a streak where we couldn’t finish, but we came back. They’re fighters, and I love to see them fight together.
“It was fabulous,” she said of the second-set comeback. “These girls usually play consistent. But when they come down, they can put themselves back together and finish like they want to. It doesn’t always work in our favor, but tonight it did.”
Claire Cole had 13 kills and nine digs while Dakota Truhe had 30 assists and five aces to lead the Cougars (18-9), who visit second-seeded SouthLake Christian (27-3) in the second round Tuesday.
Hayden Hamlett had 11 digs, Fallon Evans had six aces and Carson Brooks had five blocks as HPCA, which won the PACIS with a perfect record, won its 10th match in a row.
“We feel really good, because it was the last home game for the seniors and I’m glad we could win for them,” said Cole, a junior outside hitter. “I thought our swinging and our ser ve-receive was really good — and our blocking too.
“It was really good, because a lot of time this season we’ve come out scrambling. But we star ted of f really strong this time. ... We were scrambling a lot (in the second), but our defense really picked it up.”
The Cougars won the first five points of the first set, used a 9-2 run to lead 17-6 and led by as many as 13 points before winning the first set 25-16. In the second set, they trailed 18-15 before going on a 10-3 run — keyed by strong ser ving by Evans — to win the second set 25-21.
HPCA then used a 14-4 run in the third set to overcome an early deficit. The teams traded points until Abigail Lyle’s kill gave the Cougars a 25-16 win to complete the sweep. The Cavaliers ended their season with a 10-17 record.
“The last couple matches, we have just been playing really dominant,” Knower said. “Tonight was a little bit of a dip in that, but I’m excited for what these girls are capable of doing. So, where we end up — that’s always the big question.
“But I think they are capable of beating anyone we play. So, we’re looking forward to Tuesday and going to SouthLake. We’re evenly matched in a lot of ways, but we’re looking forward to it.”
