Princeton Bulldogs march on to fourth round, sweep Wallace-Rose Hill volleyball

Princeton’s attempted defense of its state volleyball championship is featuring a new star hitter, a new gymnasium – and the same successful string of results.

Number don’t always tell the true story of a team’s effectiveness, but they certainly do in case of Princeton, which is trying to win consecutive N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A state titles under coach Paige Renfrow.

Princeton (25-1) has dropped just one match (and four sets) the entire campaign -- a run that continued Thursday with a 25-15, 25-9, 25-15 home decision over Wallace-Rose Hill (17-5) in the third round of the playoffs.

Renfrow’s club will carry a 24-match winning streak into Saturday’s Elite Eight contest at home versus Durham’s Voyager Academy. As part of its streak, which dates back to late August, Princeton has claimed 72 straight sets without a loss.

“We just don’t let up,” said junior hitter Daisy Eklund, who has become an instant standout for Princeton this fall after moving from West Virginia. “We don’t stop. To me, losing a set is like losing a whole match. We just want to win them all.”

Princeton’s heroics continued Wednesday in the third match the squad has played at its sparkling-new gym, which just opened last Saturday. Princeton was never threatened after closing the first set with a 7-1 surge that included four service points from Hailey Wood, including an ace on set point. Renfrow’s crew didn’t trail in either the second or third set.

They said it

“We never got into our game,” said Wallace-Rose Hill coach Susan Miller. “We are not used to this level of competition, and we got taken off our game. We shouldn’t have lost that badly. (Princeton) has experience -- they have been here before.”

Turning point

Wallace-Rose Hill stayed within striking distance at 18-14 until Princeton extended in the first set, thanks in part to a pair of clutch kills from Taylor Carroll. With the initial set secured, Carroll stepped to the service line to begin the second set and delivered five straight points, including three kills from Eklund. By the time Eklund sent down back-to-back aces later in the set, Princeton was in control at 17-2.

Three who mattered

Daisy Eklund, Princeton: Continued her dominant first season at Princeton with 17 kills, three aces and two blocks. A junior, Eklund relocated to the area last summer when her father accepted a job as a recovery pastor in Johnston County. Last year, Eklund was an all-state performer at Byrd High School in Claksburg, W.V.

“I heard that we might have someone moving in,” Renfrow said. “Daisy showed up the first day of tryouts along with her sister. Obviously, we are very happy to have her. She has come here and fit in right away. It was a situation of instant acceptance.”

Taylor Carroll, Princeton: While Eklund is the undisputed up-front standout for Princeton, the squad has several other talented hitters, including Carroll, who dented the Wallace-Rose Hill defense with nine kills.

Beth Braswell, Princeton: Braswell came through with flurries of six straight service points in both the second and third sets. She also contributed three aces.

Out of bounds

Princeton has always enjoyed a substantial home-court advantage at its old facility, so there was a bit of apprehension when the school’s new state-of-the-art gym was cleared for play beginning last Saturday.

School administrators gave the volleyball team the option of remaining at the former gym through the remainder of this season, but Princeton opted to begin the playoffs under the bright lights of its new stage.

“Some of the girls had mixed feelings about coming over to the new gym,” Renfrow said. “As a coach, I am not one for superstition. I told the girls that we only had one playoff match at home last year, and we went all the way to the state championship. The gym is not going to make a difference between us winning and losing.

“We ended up being very anxious to get into the new gym. We are all very happy about it now.”

This story was originally published October 30, 2015 at 1:24 AM with the headline "Princeton Bulldogs march on to fourth round, sweep Wallace-Rose Hill volleyball."