Aycock dumps S. Johnston in pivotal ECC match
By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on September 28, 2012 1:48 PM
PIKEVILLE -- After dropping the opening set and desperately needing a win, Charles B. Aycock easily could have folded.
The Golden Falcons rallied behind solid efforts from Courtney Warner and Meredith Burroughs and earned a 21-25, 25-18, 25-16, 25-19 victory over South Johnston on Thursday evening.
The Trojans jumped out to a 19-13 lead in set one before Aycock pulled to within 21-19 on Taylor Bradshaw's off-speed hit. Heather Capps' delivered a pair of kills for South Johnston to help close out the set.
The Golden Falcons played the role of the aggressor in set two and Emily Martin's blocked helped Aycock grab a 10-5 advantage. Burroughs found her hitting touch, and provided four kills and a block down the stretch as the Golden Falcons tied the match at one set apiece.
"South Johnston played about as well as they could have in the first set," Aycock head coach Davis Harris said. "They were the aggressor. We came out in the second set, and we were the aggressor and we were pretty much the whole rest of the way."
The Golden Falcons persevered through countless swings in momentum and worked relentlessly to cover the floor against South Johnston's aggressive hitters. Warner's block was part of a 5-0 Aycock run to open set three.
The Golden Falcons began to pass with efficiency and put away kill opportunities as Warner's kill stretched the Aycock lead to 16-10. Martin's off-speed hit and a Trojans' hitting error finished off the third set.
Megan Batten and Sydney Speight each delivered a pair of aces as South Johnston took a 14-9 led in the fourth set.
Warner, Burroughs and Madison Mercer each supplied a kill during a 4-0 run that helped the Golden Falcons move in front 18-17. Burroughs contributed four more kills to help put away the Trojans.
Warner finished with a team-high 15 kills and Burroughs added 14. Aycock (7-7 overall) improved to 5-4 in Eastern Carolina 3-A Conference play.
"Meredith was huge, but I tell you what, Courtney Warner was unbelievable," Harris said. "We just stayed in it and fought the whole time. Now, we're stacked with North Lenoir and South Johnston in the conference. This was big."
The Golden Falcons visit Cleveland on Tuesday.