Marlee Butler makes a dig for CFCA on Monday.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Cape Fear Christian Academy’s varsity volleyball team held a 2-0 lead over visiting Sandhills Athletic Conference foe Fayetteville Christian School, but the Warriors rallied for a five-set win on Monday. Individual set scores were 22-25, 20-25, 27-25, 25-17 and 15-13.
“There’s definitely a little rivalry with these teams,” said Cape Fear Christian volleyball coach Brittany Ter Meer. “It also doesn’t help when their entire JV stays and we’ve got an empty gym. It was going to be a little feeding off of yourselves, but when you’ve got a crowd, it’s hard to go against that. But other than that, I was really proud of them the first couple of sets. It’s just maturity-wise, we’re going to have to focus a little more on that.”
Junior Leah Brannon and sophomore Rhyleigh Horne each recorded a double-double for the Eagles (4-4, 1-3 SAC). Brannon had a match-high 16 kills and 28 digs. Horne had 20 assists and 12 digs. Horne also led CFCA at the service line with three aces on 13 service points.
Sophomore Meredith Taylor was also a leader at the net, with 13 kills and a match-high four blocks. Junior Marlee Butler led the Eagles defensively with 42 digs.
Gracie Byrd had six kills, two blocks and six digs. Laney Avery had four kills and six digs. Claire Parker had three kills, one assist, two blocks, four digs and one ace on 11 service points. Mariah Bell had two kills, one assist, one block and two digs. Horne had one kill. Natalia Brocious had 17 assists and six digs and held serve for five points. Butler had two assists and one ace on five service points. Brannon had one assist and one ace on five service points. Anslee McLamb had one assist, five digs and two aces on 12 service points. Taylor had one dig.
The Eagles were without senior captain Reyna Johnson because of a foot injury sustained in CFCA’s run to the Falcon Classic championship at Lee Christian on Saturday.
Sophomore Emma Webster had 15 kills, senior Carly Harness had 30 assists, sophomore Ella Cox had four blocks and one ace on 13 service points and senior Julianna Nelson had five aces on 18 service points to lead the Warriors (5-1, 4-1).
The first set was close throughout, with neither team holding a lead of more than four points. With Cape Fear Christian leading 22-21 late in the set, the Eagles finished the set on a 3-1 run, capped by a Brannon kill, assisted by Horne.
The second set was also close until, holding a 18-17 lead, the Eagles finished the set with a 7-3 run for a 2-0 advantage.
The Eagles started the third set strong, leading by as much as nine, at 17-8. But the Warriors rallied with a 16-6 run to hold set point at 24-23. The Eagles briefly took a 25-24 lead, but a 3-0 run to end the set kept the Warriors alive.
Cape Fear Christian found some late offense, but Fayetteville Christian dominated the fourth set, winning it 25-17 to send the match to the decisive set.
The final set was a back-and-forth battle throughout. But with the score tied at 13, a pair of errors ended the match in the Warriors’ favor.
“We’ll probably see them again come conference tournament time,” Ter Meer said. “They played well, but we’ve proven today that we can take at least a set off of them and play even better.”
The Warriors hosted CFCA on Thursday, September 24 and took a 3-1 win.
The CFCA junior varsity volleyball team stayed unbeaten on Monday with a 2-0 win over Fayetteville Christian.
CFCA soccer more competitive
Fayetteville Christian also won in boys soccer on Monday, topping Cape Fear Christian by a score of 3-1. The Warriors remain unbeaten at 4-0 both overall and in conference play.
Senior Dolan Adams scored the lone goal for the Eagles (0-3, 0-3) on a penalty kick at 51:08. CFCA’s score came after the visitors had taken a 2-0 lead following a scoreless first half. The Eagles showed significant improvement from a 7-0 loss to the Warriors at the Jordan Soccer Complex in Fayetteville on Thursday.
Jake Tyndall had 14 saves in goal for the hosts on Monday.
“It was interesting to play Fayetteville Christian back to back,” said CFCA coach Michael Breslin. “When we played them Thursday, we were very undisciplined. We didn’t play our positions and as a result, the other team was able to move the ball at will. Not surprisingly, we weren’t competitive.
“Before yesterday’s match, I emphasized the need for each player to do his job and to trust his teammates to do theirs. We also talked about the importance of passing the ball and using the entire field. I told the guys they had to be aggressive and really fight for the ball.
“The difference in our play was remarkable. We played disciplined, focused soccer. We moved the ball and were more aggressive when contesting for the ball. The guys showed how much heart they have. While we lost the match, we grew as a team. I’m very proud of those guys and am looking forward to the upcoming matches.”
Cape Fear Christian is in conference action at home again in soccer and volleyball on Tuesday, hosting Freedom Christian Academy.
Middle School
The CFCA middle school soccer and volleyball teams played at St. John Paul II of Southern Pines on Monday.
CFCA split matches in volleyball to put its Southeastern Conference record at 7-1.
The hosts took a 5-1 soccer win. Brandon Surles had CFCA’s goal.
The CFCA middle school teams host Berean Baptist on Thursday.
Meredith Taylor registers a kill for Cape Fear Christian.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Leah Brannon connects for a point for the Eagles.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Rhyleigh Horne serves an ace against Fayetteville Christian.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Mariah Bell scores on a kill for Cape Fear Christian.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Jackson Bolton maneuvers for Cape Fear Christian.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Luke Adams (17) moves the ball for the Eagles on Monday.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Dolan Adams had CFCA’s goal on a penalty kick in the second half.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Trevor McLamb clears in CFCA’s match Monday.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Jake Tyndall makes a save against Fayetteville Christian.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
