Princeton dispatches North Duplin

By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on October 21, 2009 1:50 PM

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Keep moving forward.

Princeton avoided looking too far ahead and took care of business with a 25-11, 25-15, 25-20 victory over North Duplin in the Carolina 1-A Conference volleyball tournament semifinals Tuesday.

The second-seeded Bulldogs (15-5 overall) face Rosewood in the championship match today. First serve is 7 p.m. at the Eagles' Nest.

Princeton closed the opening set on a 19-6 run while Nicole Melvin contributed four kills. Rebecca Harlan added three kills. The Bulldogs had four service aces during set one.

Eight unanswered points allowed Princeton to take an 11-3 lead in set two. The Bulldogs recorded three more aces during the second set.

"Our serving made a huge difference in those runs," said Princeton head coach Trudi Rast. "We had some huge digs and some plays went our way."

Third-seeded North Duplin led 12-8 in set three before the Bulldogs fought back. Harlan hammered out four more kills and finished the match with nine. Melvin's kill tied the score at 15-15 and Erin Schultze's kill gave Princeton a 19-16 lead.

Harlan's kill put the finishing touches on North Duplin and propelled the Bulldogs into the tournament finals.

"We played better in the third game," said Rebels head coach Heather Best. "I changed the lineup around and put some people in some different spots. We played better, but it just unfortunately wasn't enough.

"We just made way too many unforced errors. Our serve and receive was not up to par tonight."

Princeton faces Rosewood today for the second time in less than a week. The Bulldogs and Eagles split their regular-season series with each winning on their home court.

"Our girls have worked really hard and they're looking forward to it," said Rast. "This is what we've been working hard for all season."