Hill, Wolfe Help Central Hand East Ridge First 6-AA Loss

Lady Pounder Volleyballers Sweep Key Volleyball Match

  • Thursday, September 18, 2014
  • Larry Fleming

On Tuesday, Central dropped its first District 6-AA volleyball match to Hixson.

Two days later the Lady Purple Pounders did the same to East Ridge.

With Rebekah Hill and Skyler Wolfe leading the rebound from Tuesday’s loss, Central swept East Ridge 3-0 and remained in the hunt for their second straight district championship. Set scores were 25-14, 25-16, 25-22.

“The difference was our passing and coverage was much better tonight,” Central’s first-year coach Jeff Baughman said.

“We (also) did a much better job following the block as well as following our hitters as they went up in case the shot was blocked.”

The Lady Pounders (14-10, 4-1) loss to Hixson while playing at nearby Brown Middle School due to a scheduling conflict with the high school open house.

They looked more at home Thursday.

“That’s a little thing, but it can throw you off,” Baughman said. “We were more comfortable in here and we were back in our rotation. We’ve had to make some adjustments and obstacles to overcome. We’ve had players out periodically for family reasons or injuries. Those things have dissipated and we’re jelling.”

With the loss East Ridge fell to 11-20 overall and 3-1 in league action.

The Lady Pioneers’ play, which has been consistently good of late, took a dive against the Lady Pounders, and coach Sandy Mauser was disappointed.

“If I’m comparing it to the way we’ve been playing,” she said, “we ended up losing the game ourselves. We didn’t come to play and our defense was poor tonight. I'm disappointed.”

The Lady Pioneers didn’t start that way.

They jumped out to a 5-0 start in the first set, but the Lady Pounders stole that early momentum with a 10-1 run that produced a 10-6 lead.

Wolfe had five points, including four service points, and Hill capped it with three straight kills – she finished with a match-high 22.

“We played really well,” Hill said. “Our passing was on, the setters were doing a great job and we were killing it.”

Central built 16-10 and 21-13 lead – the late advantage coming on a service point by Wolfe, who had six aces against the Lady Pioneers.

“We had an off-night Tuesday, but we came together in this match,” Wolfe said. “I really depend on the rest of the team and we worked really well together tonight.”

After East Ridge scored a point to make it 21-14, Central ran off four straight points – Hill had two kills that included the clincher – to finish the first set.

In Set 2, the Lady Pounders grabbed the early lead only to see the Lady Pioneers go ahead at 9-8 on four consecutive Central miscues.

Trailing 13-11, Central scored four points in a row on two service points and a kill by Wolfe and Hill’s deft placement shot.

After Wolfe’s serve sailed long and Adriane McClurg’s shot found the net, Hill and McClurg slammed kills and Hill followed with a block to push Central’s lead to 19-15.

East Ridge’s Hannah Eldridge scored to stop the Central surge, but Central scored the final six points to go up 2-0. McClurg started the spree with two service points, Hill had two kills and Alyssa Barclay’s well-placed push gave Central the final point.

Eldridge unleashed a kill that hit the backline and Kyhonah Lawrence – she had five kills, six aces, five assists and 14 digs – got a service point, but the Lady Pioneers quickly got the upper hand and led 11-7 on Barclay’s service point in the third set.

Aaliyah Martin gave the Lady Pioneers a 13-12 lead and they pushed the margin to 15-12 and still had a three-point edge at 16-13.

Hill’s kill gave Central a 17-16 lead, Lexie Ainslie, who had 25 assists in the match, added a service point and Eldridge’s return netted and the Lady Pounders were up 19-16.

Hill scored on back-to-back kills and East Ridge’s Michaela Moore’s return shot went side-out and Central had a 22-18 advantage.

A Central error enabled East Ridge to pull within 24-22, but Moore’s serve went long to give the Lady Pounders the third set and match.

“I think all of us are feeling pretty good with a 4-1 district record,” Hill said. “We like where we are in the standings and I feel good about that.”

East Ridge is certainly not out of the title chase.

“We can play with the best and we’ve shown that before this season,” Mauser said. “I think we can come back and do well.”

Baughman credited the Lady Pioneers with improved play from the team’s earlier meeting this season, and believes East Ridge will have to be reckoned with down the stretch.

He also said his squad is hungry for a second straight title.

“We’re the defending champion and we intend to chase another one as much as we can,” Baughman said. “There are some worthy opponents out there and East Ridge is a different team than we played early this season. It’s a much-improved team and I told their coach that.

“We had to earn this win. I tell the girls never to assume what’s on the other side of the net. You’ve got to play every match like it’s a championship match. Tonight we did that and I told the girls I’m proud of them.”

STATISTICS

East Ridge

Hannah Eldridge – 6 kills, 16 digs

Rickell Hill – 17 digs

Kyhonah Lawrence – 5 kills, 5 assists, 6 aces, 14 digs

Central

Rekekah Hill – 22 kills, three aces, 13 digs

Skyler Wolfe – 8 kills, six aces, 12 digs

Brooke Parrott – 9 digs

Lexie Ainslie – 25 assists, e aces, 8 digs

(E-mail Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @larryfleming44)

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