East Wake volleyball regroups against Harnett Central, moves on to NCHSAA second round
It appeared it might be the beginning of the end for East Wake Saturday afternoon when Harnett Central jumped out to a commanding lead in game one of Saturday’s first round NCHSAA volleyball playoff match.
The Warriors made some adjustments and found a way to turn the tide on the way to a 3-1 (22-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-14) victory in the rematch of Greater Neuse River Conference teams.
With the win, East Wake (13-9) advances to face Jack Britt in the second round of the 4A playoffs. East Wake, the No. 13 seed in the East, will travel to Fayetteville on Tuesday for a 6 p.m. match against the No. 4 Buccaneers (21-3).
Harnett Central (12-15) cruised to an 11-1 advantage when the Warriors came out flat Saturday and had difficulty receiving the serve from Trojan senior Lauren Grodi. East Wake was able to slow the attack and chip away at the lead after several switches on the back row, but Harnett Central held on to take the opening game.
“I know we always have it in us to win, but sometimes it takes a lot to get it out,” said East Wake coach Keauna Vinson. “I told them to pick up the intensity after each game and be aggressive. When we are aggressive, the game will go in our favor.”
Senior Angel Rizor found her stride in game two but a hot hand by sophomore Dahja Williams proved to be the boost the Warriors needed. The teams battled back and forth before Williams stepped in with four big kills to help close out the set.
Game three proved to be another battle with the lead changing hands five times before the Warriors took control. Harnett Central junior Camryn Huber put away a few good kills, but good ball placement by East Wake junior captain Tamira Knuckles paved the way for Rizor and sophomore McKenzie Moore to strike hard.
The Trojans moved within 18-16 until a strong service turn by sophomore Caroline Bell put the game away.
“The defense definitely picked it up as the match went on,” Vinson said. “I told them to stay at their base and be ready for tips.”
The strategy paid off for East Wake. Bell’s serve led the way again as the Warriors built an early lead in the final game and never looked back. A strong defensive effort on both sides of the net led to some sustained rallies, but the Trojans were never able to gain a foothold.
“I thought we were hitting our serves and following our game plan at first,” said Harnett Central coach Jason Harrell. “Then we had a lot of unforced errors and got in our own head.”
Harrell credited East Wake’s aggressive play for throwing the Trojans off their game. He said great coaching moves by Vinson helped swing the momentum.
“They got down early and they didn’t give up,” Harrell said. “We didn’t do as well at stopping the block and got frustrated and it bled into the rest of our game, then the wheels fell off the bus.”
The Warriors took advantage of the Trojans’ confusion by continuing to feed the hot hands. Serve reception is an area the Warriors are focused on entering Tuesday’s match.
“If we just get the first receive, then we can control the game,” Vinson said. “We just need to speed up the offense and get the defense moving a lot more and make adjustments to handle their offense.”
This story was originally published October 26, 2015 at 9:09 AM with the headline "East Wake volleyball regroups against Harnett Central, moves on to NCHSAA second round."