Princeton back in 1A volleyball state finals after win at Roxboro Community

Maybe dropping their first set since August wasn’t such a bad idea for Princeton’s volleyball team.

Princeton roared back after having its 77-set win streak halted by Roxboro Community Tuesday night to roll to win the fourth set by 14 points and grab a 26-24, 25-17, 19-25, 25-11 victory in the 1A eastern regional championship match Tuesday night at Helena Elementary School.

Wood was one part of a multi-level Princeton offensive attack that Roxboro Community (26-2) couldn’t match for most of the night.

“We had prepared for where they were going to set up defensive,” Wood said. “We just set all of front row hitters just to keep them off-balance and put the ball in places they weren’t.”

Daisey Eklund rolled up 23 kills to lead Princeton, while Wood added 12 and Kortney Edwards notched eight.

“We did a good job of hitting around their blocks and picking up our offense,” Eklund said.

Princeton grabbed the early momentum when it fought off a set point in the first set, down 24-23. A Roxboro Community kill attempt sailed long to tie the set at 24, then Wood notched a kill to give Princeton a set point. Kelsey Peedin didn’t let it go to waste, posting an ace to win the set.

They Said It

“You always want that first set because it helps you prove to yourself that you can beat who you’re playing,” said Princeton coach Paige Renfrow. “I think losing the set was good for us. We haven’t lost a set since August. You don’t want to lose a set ideally, but I was glad we did once I saw the way we responded to dropping a set.”

Turning Point

Princeton never trailed in the fourth set and didn’t surrender back-to-back points to RCS after Roxboro Community won three straight points to close within 4-3. Eklund, Wood, Edwards and Taylor Carroll all had multiple kills in the set, which ended with an ace from Edwards.

“It was a wake up call,” Eklund said of losing the third set. “We realized we had to not just stand around. We had to attack.”

Three Who Mattered

Daisey Eklund, Princeton: Eklund, whose family moved into the area from West Virginia during the summer, was the superstar no team has been able to solve on offense. She powered Princeton’s comeback in the first set and was one of the key weapons in the romp that was the 14-poind margin of victory in the deciding fourth set.

“I thought we were really going to get this far,” she said, “that we were going to have the chance to win another state championship.”

Hailey Wood, Princeton: She helped lead what could be called the second wave of Princeton’s offense behind Eklund and Carroll, Princeton’s leaders in kills coming into the match.

“It’s an incredible feeling,” Wood said. “This is our end goal and now that we’ve finally got here we’ve just got to push through that one more goal, which is another state championship.”

Renfrow on Wood: “She was amazing. I know she had a couple of errors in the match, but I couldn’t even tell you what they were. Her offense and defensive play when we asked her to step in on the back line was so impressive tonight.”

Kortney Edwards, Princeton: The Princeton junior hitter has become well-known for her tendency to go after tough balls — even at the expense of her body — came up as big as anybody on offense with timely hits. It seemed fitting that she closed out the match with an ace on serve.

“Kortney is such a strong-willed, tough player. She was part of a state championship team last year, but being injured some of the time she didn’t feel like she had the whole experience. She’s fought her way back and has gotten stronger and become a real big contributor to our team.”

By the Numbers

2: Consecutive trips to the state championship match by Princeton, which beat East Surry in five sets for the title last year.

“We’re back there, where we wanted to be,” Renfrow said. “We don’t know anything about the West champion yet. Which, we didn’t know anything much about East Surry until we saw them that day of the match. We’ve got three days to get ready. It’ll be about just playing our game, staying together and working as hard as we can to be ready.”

3: Princeton losses in the playoffs since 2011.

14: Kills in the match by Peyton Gentry of Roxboro Community. RCC took the third set behind Gentry and her teammates, but Princeton responded like a championship squad should in the fourth set.

The third set was a challenge for both teams in the small gym where temperatures soared into the mid-80s.

“There were a lot of long points in that set,” Renfrow said. “It really took its toll on both teams I think. “

22: Wins by Princeton in the playoffs in the same period the Bulldogs have lost those three matches.

Looking Ahead

Up next for 27-1 Princeton is a chance to win a second consecutive state championship on Saturday at the Raleigh Convention Center. The match against West regional Alleghany County (25-1) will begin at 5 p.m.

“It’s what we’ve worked for from the first day of practice,” said Princeton senior Hailey Wood. “We get the chance to try to do it again. It’s a great feeling.”

This story was originally published November 3, 2015 at 9:16 PM with the headline "Princeton back in 1A volleyball state finals after win at Roxboro Community."