KeErica Snead makes a block for host Harnett Central on Saturday.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Despite a struggle in the third set, No. 9 Harnett Central took a 3-1 win over visiting No. 24 Southern Lee in the first round of the NCHSAA 3-A volleyball playoffs Saturday. Individual set scores were 25-22, 25-16, 23-25 and 25-18.
“You’re in the state playoffs, everybody’s going to be playing their best volleyball right now,” said Harnett Central coach Ashley Gaines. “Set three, we did not play out best volleyball. And even at the beginning of the first and the fourth sets, we were struggling for points. So, we just tried to tell them to come out and compete.
“Our setters have to give the ball to the people who are scoring the points. I don’t think we did the greatest job of that tonight. But when we needed the points, once again, Lily (Gervase), Ivanna (Jones) and Sinai (Avalos-Beltran) are the ones who are putting the ball away for us and scoring for us to get us going and get us back into that momentum.”
Junior Lily Gervase had 13 kills and six blocks, both match-high totals, and senior Ivanna Jones had a double-double, with 12 kills and 10 digs to lead the Trojans (18-7) at the net.
Gaines also noted senior KeErica Snead provided a major spark for the Trojans late in the match. She totaled nine kills and two blocks at the net.
“She works hard every day in practice,” Gaines said. “She wants to go up against a big block. She wants to hit against a big block. She wants to be the one who stops the go-to hitter on the other side. She works really hard on that. Every time she comes off of the bench, she asks, ‘What can I do to stop them? Can I do better to find the floor?’ She’s hungry to get that and be in that position. So, I trust her any time she’s out there. She’s going to step up and make those big plays for us.”
Both setters also recorded double-doubles for Central. Junior Carlie Love had 24 assists and 13 digs and senior Carlee Harrell had 14 assists and 10 digs.
Senior Sinai Avalos-Beltran had one ace on 18 service points and Ashley Bliven had one ace on 13 service points to lead Central at the service line.
“(Bliven) works hard on her serve,” Gaines said. “And as soon as the ref blows the whistle, she’s ready to serve. I think that’s something most teams don’t see. But she works hard on her serve at practice and I know that if I need it, I can trust her back there.”
Senior libero Mikaela Goss was seemingly everywhere on defense for the Trojans, totaling 30 digs in the contest.
“You’re not going to find a libero that works harder than her,” Gaines said. “She works corner-to-corner like she’s supposed to. But if somebody shanks a ball, she will run through a wall, slide into the bleachers, like you saw tonight. She will do whatever it takes to keep the ball up. She is a softball player, but she loves volleyball and it shows. And I think the girls have seen that come through in her and really trust her back there. So, it’s nice to see her play the way she did today.”
Avalos-Beltran had seven kills, two assists and 16 digs. Harrell had two kills, one block and two aces on four service points. Jones had two assists and held serve for four points. Bliven, Snead and Gervase had three digs apiece. Novie Womack had one dig and held serve for one point. Love had four aces on nine service points. Goss held serve for four points.
Junior Johnna Lawrence had 11 kills, senior Parker Lynch had nine kills and four blocks, senior Graysen Ellis had seven kills and 23 assists and sophomore Priyanna Tabon had four aces on 14 service points to lead the Cavaliers (11-10).
Love served three straight aces to open the match as part of an 8-3 Central run before Southern lee rallied with a 7-2 run to tie the set 10-10. Later in the set, with the score tied 22-22, a Gervase block, a Cavaliers error and another Gervase block gave the Trojans the set.
Central opened the second set on a 10-2 run. An 8-4 Southern Lee run cut the lead to four, but a Harrell kill, assisted by Jones, sparked an 11-6 run, capped by a Harrell ace, to end the set.
The Cavaliers opened the third set with an 11-4 run before the Trojans responded with a 16-5 run to take the lead. A Kirsten Rosser kill, assisted by Ellis, started a 5-0 Southern Lee run, including three kills from Lynch, all assisted by Ellis to reclaim the lead. With the score tied 22-22, Southern Lee finished the set on a 3-1 run, capped by an Ellis kill, assisted by Tabon.
Lawrence started the fourth set with a kill, assisted by Ellis, but Central answered with a 10-3 run. Southern Lee cut the lead to just three, at 15-12, but Central ended the match on a 10-6 run, capped by a Gervase kill, assisted by Harrell.
Harnett Central will either host No. 25 Dixon (10-9) or travel to No. 8 Currituck County (15-7) for the second round on Tuesday.
Ashley Bliven serves for the Trojans against Southern Lee.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Sinai Avalos-Beltran swings for a point for the Trojans.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Mikaela Goss reaches to make a dig in Harnett Central’s 3-1 win.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Carlee Harrell (12) sets for Lily Gervase on match point for Central.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Lily Gervase goes up to send Central to the second round.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
