Voyager Academy outlasts Franklin Academy in third round of volleyball playoffs
It was kind of a shame on Thursday night that something had to give.
Voyager Academy of Durham and host Franklin Academy had developed a rivalry ever since the all-charter school North Central Athletic 1A Conference opened for business.
And on Thursday night in the third round – the deepest either school had ever gone in the state volleyball playoffs, the dueling red, white and blues butted heads in a predictable style.
In front of a raucous crowd of about 400, the visiting Vikings prevailed in a 23-25, 25-22, 25-13, 25-21, 15-9 nailbiter.
The result – which gained Voyager a split in the four matches they played this season – to 22-4 while Franklin dropped to 20-5.
“Franklin and Voyager have very similar skill levels,” Voyager’s first-year coach Mariah Jackson said. “And what determines who’s going to win on any given night is energy. We usually lose at Franklin because their fans are loud, but we brought some people up here from Durham tonight. We had never been past the second round, so this was a really big win.”
Turning point
Voyager outscrored the hosts 10-4 down the stretch of the final set after being tied at 5-5.
They said it
“We hadn’t beaten Voyager in the three years I’ve been here,” said Franklin coach Jaclyn Cox, whose team had only one senior. “We were really aggressive and attacked the ball today. We played really well in the games we won, but in that last game we hit the seams very well.”
Three who mattered
Megan Harris, Voyager: The senior outside hitter had 14 kills.
“The games we lost to them our passing was really bad,” said Harris, who has been at Voyager since fourth grade. “But we had a lot of energy in the ones we won.”
Ruthie Roberts, Voyager: The senior setter finished with 25 assists.
“Every time we play them energy makes the difference,” said Roberts, who has been to Voyager since fifth grade. “We have to get them in a hole before they get us in one.”
Joy Rhodes, Franklin: The 6-2 junior outside hitter had 15 kills.
“We were running a good offense in the games we win,” Rhodes said. “When we’re good at serve-receive and get our offense going we usually win.”
By the numbers
8: Kills by Franklin’s Meagan Smith.
10: Digs by Voyager’s Chandler Strickland.
14: Kills by Voyager’s Harris.
15: Kills by Rhodes.
25: Assists by Roberts.
Looking ahead
Voyager plays at defending state champion Princeton on Saturday.
This story was originally published October 30, 2015 at 1:30 AM with the headline "Voyager Academy outlasts Franklin Academy in third round of volleyball playoffs."