South Johnston hands Triton another conference volleyball loss
Thursday’s 3-1 victory over Triton was a long time coming for South Johnston coach Matthew Adams.
Nine years, in fact.
“I was 0-21 against (Triton coach Wendy Gaines),” Adams said after he finished accepting hugs of congratulations from friends, former players and others who celebrated the historic victory for the Trojans’ program. “As much as it matters for our girls and this current team, it was kind of a breakthrough thing for the program and me as a coach. Super emotional right there. When you invest your life in something, and you work at it and work at it and things don’t go your way, and finally when they do, something is lifted off your back.
“I’m super proud of this team for breaking through and making it happen.”
Triton, which has won 14 straight league titles and had not lost a regular-season conference match in 10-plus-years coming into this season, lost its third straight conference match to drop into a tie for third place with South Johnston at 4-3 in the Two Rivers 2A Conference.
“Jekyll and Hyde, that’s what we are,” Triton coach Wendy Gaines said. “The errors are killing us. Until we figure that out, we’ll stay in the (loss) column in I guess.”
South Johnston (15-6) won 25-22, 17-25, 25-21, 25-17 to drop Triton to 12-6.
South Johnston and Triton trail Cleveland and Corinth Holders, both 6-2 in the conference, with two regular-season games remaining.
For South, the fact that Triton had its two previous conference matches wasn’t important. After coming close in recent years against the perennial champion, including a five-set loss at Triton earlier this season, the celebration was loud and included a few tears as well.
“I’m so proud of my girls tonight, just kind of making history,” Matthews said. “I didn’t talk much about it from a personal standpoint but the moment we finished shaking hands, I was over there in tears because of how much it means to us.”
They said it
“It didn’t come easy but I am going home with a lot of pride that we were the team to do it for ... South Johnston,” South Johnston senior middle hitter Emma Blackman said. “It means more than anybody will ever know. Ever since I’ve been here, even when I was in middle school, (Triton) was the team to beat. This year, the seniors realized this was our last chance. We stepped up to the plate and we did it.”
Turning point
Third set. After Triton won the second set to tie the match at 1-1, South Johnston got its passing game back together. The Trojans jumped to a 6-2 lead and Triton never led in the set. The 25-21 victory gave the Trojans the momentum to finish it out in four sets.
Three who mattered
Emma Blackman, South Johnston: The senior led the Trojans with 18 kills and also had five blocks, her play at the net fueling the emotionally-charged victory.
Lily Allen, South Johnston: Complementing Blackman’s strong play at the net, Allen contributed 13 kills.
Taylor Gainey, Triton: The junior had 17 kills and three blocks.
This story was originally published October 9, 2015 at 12:41 AM with the headline "South Johnston hands Triton another conference volleyball loss."