Princeton has one final goal to achieve -- repeat as state champ

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on November 6, 2015 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

PRINCETON -- Wrapped in warm clothing and holding umbrellas to protect them from a cool rain, Princeton's passionate volleyball fans waited outside Reynolds Coliseum on the N.C. State campus.

The doors finally opened.

They greeted the Bulldogs' volleyball team, the newly-minted 1-A state champions, with loud cheers and applause. Players hugged their parents and friends, posed for pictures and basked in a moment they would never forget.

Fast forward nine months..

"They wanted to know how are we going to get there again because it feels too good to let it slip through our fingers," PHS head coach Paige Renfrow recalled on the opening day of practice this past August.

Renfrow thought the same thing -- only 21/2 months earlier when some of the team's key players graduated. She expected the returning players to produce in their respective roles, and that defense -- led by libero Emily Woodward -- would be the Bulldogs' calling card.

What about offense?

Outside hitting duties belonged to Taylor Carroll, Hailey Wood and Kortney Edwards. But there was no middle.

"What am I going to do?" Renfrow thought.

Renfrow eventually met Daisy Eklund, a transfer from West Virginia who played outside hitter. Eklund wanted to stay in that position, but Renfrow recognized the junior's potential and knew she could flourish in that position.

Eklund eventually strengthened the Bulldogs' weakest link.

"She came to me really not knowing a whole lot about it," smiled Renfrow. "I needed her to be a strong middle. Middles and setters are the hardest positions on the court because you have so much to cover. She's really stepped up and played that position."

And helped lead the Bulldogs back to where they want to be - playing for another N.C. High School Athletic Association state championship Saturday. Princeton (27-1 overall) meets Alleghany in the title match at the Raleigh Convention Center. Game time is 5 p.m.

Tickets are $9 at the door.

"This was our end goal," PHS senior Hailey Wood said after Tuesday's four-set victory over Roxboro Community in the east regional final. "This was the first thing we set at the beginning of the season. We had to keep pushing it to it and now we're there.

"We just have to go one step further."

Princeton's run has been impressive.

The Bulldogs reclaimed their Carolina Conference regular-season and tournament championships for the fourth time in the past five seasons. They defeated 25 consecutive opponents in straight-set fashion before dropping the second set to Roxboro Community.

Eklund, Wood and Carroll have combined for 620 kills and 183 service aces. Eklund leads the team in blocks with 95, while Wood has 39. Junior setter Beth Braswell has dished out 629 assists.

Still, defense has been the Bulldogs' strong suit. RC head coach Meagan Kimbrough said Princeton's players threw their bodies all over the floor to keep points alive.

"We are aggressive (on defense)," Edwards said. "We hustle our hearts out. It doesn't matter if it's 10 feet away, we're going to dive for it. We are going to try. We have the most heart of any team I've ever played on and it's just a privilege to be able to play for a team that hustles for every ball."

Carolina Conference schools have combined to win 14 state championships in six different sports during the league's 53-year history, according to NCHAA recordes. But none have emerged as a back-to-back state champion.

Alleghany stands in the way.

"This is a good well-rounded team that has fought hard all season to make it back to this point because they know how it feels to be there, and they've been hungry from day one," Renfrow said. "This team deserves it."