VOLLEYBALL: Wayne Christian sweeps Goldsboro, tallies 10th victory

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on August 30, 2016 1:49 PM

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Hannah Sladick played a shanked ball off her foot that curled over Goldsboro's side of the net and dropped just inside the line.

Three plays later, Wayne Christian teammate Ashlee Harrelson stretched to dig out a line shot by the Cougars. The ball floated back over the net and fell into play which led to a GHS attack error.

TJ Lancaster just stared in disbelief.

Yeah, mama said there would be days like this.

"Jekyll and Hyde," Lancaster said of his team. "Of course, they don't know the book. There's moments where we come out being that big, bad monster ... fighting hard, going hard. Then there's other times, we just come out timid, not talking.

"I just sit back thinking 'we're better, show it.'"

Goldsboro never recovered.

Setter Kasey Norris distributed a team- and match-high 23 assists among six hitters as Wayne Christian claimed a 25-10, 25-14, 25-18 victory inside Norvell T. Lee Gymnasium on Monday evening.

Hannah Sladick cranked out 11 kills for the once-beaten Eagles, who coerced the Cougars into 37 unforced errors -- including 14 in the opening set.

Wayne Christian (10-1 overall) effectively served to different areas of the court which disrupted Goldsboro's offense. Senior hitter Becka Pittard (six kills) wound up receiving numerous serves, which immediately forced setter Riley Howell to find other options to terminate the play.

"That's what you want to do when you serve and we did a good job of finding their weaker passers," said WCS head coach Rick Moore, whose team logged nine aces on the stat sheet.

The Cougars (3-4) yielded numerous transition balls that put little stress on the Eagles' back row. Easy passes landed in Norris' capable hands and she worked the ball outside to either Mercy Wright or Hope Shook, or used Sladick in the middle.

Wright and Shook combined for eight kills.

"They executed," Lancaster said.

Wright, Sladick and Harrelson sparked a match-opening, 8-0 run in the first set. An attack error capped the set, and allowed the Eagles to gain a 1-0 advantage in the best-of-five county skirmish.

Wright, Sladick, Amanda Morrell and Sarah Sawyer combined for eight kills during a nine-point run in the second set. Morrell's overpass kill off a block attempt, and right-side kills from Morrell and Sawyer constantly caused Goldsboro's defense to scramble.

Harrelson served three aces during a four-point surge that gave Wayne Christian command in the third set at 13-8. Goldsboro pulled to within 16-12 on Makayla Roberts' kill and Howell's ace, but couldn't keep the momentum.

The Eagles reeled off nine of the next 15 points and sealed their three-set road sweep of the Cougars.

"Volleyball is a game of runs," Moore said. "I tell you the girls you know the runs are coming, you just hope to have more runs than the other team."

And catch a break or two along the way.