Cardinal Gibbons hands Broughton first volleyball loss in fourth round of playoffs

Earlier this week, Broughton coach Jim Freeman said he wanted his volleyball team to come out and be “cold-blooded.” He wanted them loosen up, play with passion and swing with conviction.

The Capitals did that in the first set of Saturday’s N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A quarterfinal match at Holliday Gym.

But Cardinal Gibbons simply adjusted to the previously undefeated hosts.

The Crusaders found ways around the brawny attacks of Broughton junior Kalee Vanderhorst by shifting the defense after the first set. Through the next three of their 3-1 (18-25, 25-18, 25-16, 25-20) playoff victory over the top-seeded Capitals, Gibbons had the 5-foot-10 outside hitter covered. Vanderhorst led the game with 23 kills.

The Crusaders also adjusted to the pace of a gripping postseason matchup between the N&O’s top two volleyball clubs. When Gibbons senior setter Tori Dozier spotted a gap, she dumped it without notice.

Dozier had four kills to accompany a match-leading 44 assists, as her Crusaders, the 2014 3A champion and owners of 15 total state titles, continued their quest for their first 4A championship. They are playing in the higher classification for the first time this season.

“It’s just quick thinking and quick playing,” Dozier said of her court vision. “If I see it, I just go for it. There were definitely some minor things we had to adjust.”

Broughton (22-1) worked its way to a one-set lead behind Vanderhorst, whose first two kills gave the Capitals an early lead that they, despite a few first-set ties, wouldn’t surrender.

A Dozier solo block in the second set gave the Crusaders (18-3) an 8-7 edge. Though the Capitals remained close throughout the rest of the contest, they couldn’t match the intensity of the animated visitors. After each point, the Crusaders and their dozens of fans bellowed with excitement.

“You’ve got to stay calm and poised and keep executing,” said Broughton coach Jim Freeman, who formerly coached the Crusaders. “I don’t think we stayed poised. We were too aggressive, too amped up and trying to do too much. This game doesn’t work that way.”

Freeman added, “We had a very specific game plan that we had to execute.”

Gibbons raced ahead behind senior Briley Brind’Amour to ultimately subdue the Capitals. The 6-foot-1 outside hitter had eight kills at the end of the first set and finished with a team-high of 22.

One of her kills claimed the second set. And down the stretch, moments away from knocking off the East’s top seed, Brind’Amour, Dozier and Emma Longley – Gibbons’ senior triumvirate stretching at least 6-feet tall – were unstoppable.

Back-to-back Brind’Amour kills from the fingers of Dozier broke 20 and one final swing from Longley advanced the Crusaders.

Longley contributed 18 kills for Gibbons. Brind’Amour reached the 1,000-kill threshold, becoming the third Crusader to hit the mark.

“The kids responded very well after that first set,” Gibbons coach Logan Barber said. “They did what we talked about doing all the time, and it’s all about how we react. We did a much better job of just taking big swings, staying aggressive and doing the things that got us here.”

Gibbons travels to No. 2 Greenville Rose, last year’s 4A champion, on Tuesday night. The Rampants have one loss on the year and swept New Bern to advance to the Eastern Regional final.

Barber made it clear that his Crusaders walked into Holliday Gym with intentions of winning another state title, and now they’re one step closer.

“Obviously, our job’s not done,” Barber said. “If we’re able to do the kinds of things that we did today, play within ourselves the way that we know we can play, then we’ll be in really good shape moving forward.”

This story was originally published October 31, 2015 at 7:21 PM with the headline "Cardinal Gibbons hands Broughton first volleyball loss in fourth round of playoffs."