Eastern Wayne-Rosewood volleyball
By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on August 18, 2011 1:47 PM
Rosewood did its job.
Eastern Wayne discovered its flaws.
Front-line mates Ellen Morgan and Crystal Allen combined for 15 kills in the Eagles' 25-9, 25-15, 25-12 non-conference triumph over the Warriors on Wednesday afternoon.
It was Eastern Wayne's season opener.
"The score last night (Tuesday vs. Midway) was closer, but I thought this was a better effort with them coming together and doing what they were supposed to do," said Rosewood head coach Jennifer Cochran. "We played together as a team."
Morgan, the reigning News-Argus player-of-the-year, delivered a 10-kill performance. Allen supplied five kills and two service aces. Setters Stephanie Hall and Rachyle McAlduff combined to distribute 10 assists on the afternoon.
The Eagles had 19 team kills.
Eastern Wayne (0-1 overall) struggled throughout the afternoon. The Warriors committed 17 service errors and 22 unforced miscues in the 54-minute, three-set affair.
"I listed priorities at the beginning of the season about the important things in volleyball," said second-year EW head coach Tony Parrish. "Serving is number one. Passing, according to what I was reading, is number two. We didn't get hardly any points on our serve and our passing was OK."
Allyson Newsome and freshman Rachel McCullom paced the Warriors' offense with three kills apiece.
Rosewood, which returns four starters, benefited from large scoring spurts in each set. The Eagles reeled off seven consecutive points to seize control in the opening set, 19-7.
Morgan's kills off McAlduff assists sparked a 6-0 run early in the second set. Kerri Jo Gurley and Hall cranked out one kill apiece, while Megann Tyndall served an ace.
Laura Vinson served four aces during a 6-0, third-set outburst that put the Eagles in front 18-7. Allen pounded out two kills on short serve returns by the Warriors.
"Rosewood is a very good volleyball team and that's got to help us get prepared for Triton, South Johnston, Aycock ... good teams in our conference," said Parrish. "We've got to have a short-term memory because we play again tomorrow. This one won't help us tomorrow if we don't get any better.
"You've got to get better every day. End of story."
The Eagles (2-0) return to action today at Tri-County 1-A member Union, while Eastern Wayne is the guest of county rival Goldsboro.