Spring Creek rallies past Goldsboro

By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on September 24, 2010 1:47 PM

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SEVEN SPRINGS -- Goldsboro head coach T.J. Lancaster was so close to his first career Carolina 1-A Conference victory that he could almost taste it.

Spring Creek spoiled the moment.

The Gators rallied from a two-set deficit and claimed a hard-fought 24-26, 22-25, 26-24, 25-23, 15-7 victory at "The Swamp" on Thursday evening.

"I was extremely proud of how my girls overcame those first two sets and put it together," said Spring Creek head coach Deanna Morris. "We played some very good volleyball with our backs to the wall."

Down two sets, the Gators found themselves faced with a match point for the visitors. A potential match-winning kill sailed wide and gave the serve back to Spring Creek, which trailed 24-22. The Gators used a 4-0 run with Mitzi Artega at the service line to cap the comeback.

The fourth set followed a similar script as Goldsboro built a late 23-21 advantage. Again, the Gators used another 4-0 surge -- this time with Stacie Salters at the service line -- to claim the set and tie the best-of-five match at 2-all.

"We definitely had chances, and for most of the match I though we played some very good volleyball," said Lancaster. "I just have to give Spring Creek credit because they made plays when they needed to and they got some breaks at big times."

Spring Creek dominated the fifth and final set. The Gators rattled off eight consecutive points with Lucy Avila at the service line, which made the score 14-6. The match ended on an unforced error by the Cougars.

Kelsey Rogers led Spring Creek's attack with nine kills and four blocks. Bianca Morado added five kills and two blocks.

"Kelsey played a nice game tonight and the key to that was our passing," said Morris. "Once we started setting the ball up for her, she was able to finish with some hits."

Spring Creek (3-8 overall, 1-3 CC) plays host to Wayne Christian on Monday.

Kasheika Wallace led the Cougars with 12 kills and two blocks. Anastazja Harris added six kills and three blocks.

"Tonight was one step closer to our ultimate goal of competing for a playoff spot," said Lancaster. "Obviously, it's disappointing to lose, but we played well enough to win and there were a lot of positives."

Goldsboro (1-11, 0-4) travels to Ayden-Grifton on Tuesday.