Corinth Holders volleyball sweeps South Johnston

When Corinth Holders’ volleyball team needed a big point against South Johnston on Thursday night, the Pirates looked to their go-to player.

And senior outside hitter Jamie Turner delivered.

Turner had 11 kills and just three hitting errors to lift the second-place Pirates to a 3-0 victory over South Johnston in a Two Rivers 3A Conference match.

“She’s our kill leader, she’s our senior leader, our emotional leader,” Pirates coach Charles Riley said. “We kind of go up and down with her at times. She’s our go-to and we want to make sure that she gets here chances. … I felt like we needed to go to her tonight because the rhythm was on between her and the setters.”

Turner relishes the role of being the team leader.

“I love having this role,” she said. “I love being the one the girls can count on -- on and off the court -- and to be there when they need me to pick them up or to cheer them on when they do something good.”

Corinth Holders (9-5, 3-1 Two Rivers 3A) won 25-22, 25-16, 25-25-21 against a scrappy Trojans team that played better than its 1-12 and 0-3 record would indicate.

“We probably showed more fight tonight than we have in some previous games,” South Johnston coach Matthew Adams said. “We scored over 20 points in two of three sets tonight. I felt like we showed fight and effort. We don’t have the height or power at the net, but we played pretty good defense and served well.”

TURNING POINT

The finish to the first set. South Johnston was up 21-18 after scoring two straight points but Corinth Holders went on a 7-1 run to end the set and win 25-22. The momentum swing was a big one and carried over into the second set with the Pirates getting off to a 6-1 start.

“I told them (after the match) it was disappointing to be up 21-18 and then lose 25-22 in the first one after we worked hard to have a chance to win the set,” Adams said. “We’ve been getting beat 3-0. If we had won a set, that would have been a positive thing for us.”

THREE TO KNOW

Corinth Holders’ Jamie Turner: The senior outside hitter was always there with the big point, getting 11 kills and making just three hitting errors. “I felt like I had to adjust to what South’s defense did,” Turner said. “They played good back row, so I had to pay more attention to what the other team was doing and that helped me play well tonight.”

Corinth Holders’ Grace Pittman: The junior middle hitter had five kills and four blocks, complementing Turner’s strong play on the outside with her power in the middle.

South Johnston’s Taylor Lee: The senior captain had eight kills to lead the Trojans.

THEY SAID IT

“We have really been working hard on being consistent, staying up, keeping our energy up,” Pirates coach Charles Riley said. “I feel like we did that at times and had some let-up at times. South does not quit. They hustle everywhere on the court. We fought back and made sure that we came out on top.”

LOOKING AHEAD

Corinth Holders plays at first-place Cleveland on Tuesday.

Pirates coach Charles Riley said that the victory over South Johnston was a good springboard to the big match with Cleveland.

“I think so,” Riley said. “South does not quit. You can’t take anybody for granted in this conference. If you let up they are right back in your face. I feel like having South push back against us made us a little stronger tonight, being able to fight through that.”

This story was originally published September 23, 2016 at 6:01 PM with the headline "Corinth Holders volleyball sweeps South Johnston."