VOLLEYBALL: Newsome's kill caps Warriors' 3-set sweep

By Ben Coley
Published in Sports on September 1, 2016 1:49 PM

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With Eastern Wayne up 25-24 in the third set against Rosewood, Warriors' junior Emily Newsome leapt into the air and prepared for a spike.

At the peak of her jump, she aggressively slammed the ball over the net and onto the hardwood. The home crowd erupted, and EW head coach Anna Hajjar was overcome with emotion.

Newsome's kill completed a gritty comeback in the third set and finished a 25-20, 25-15, 26-24 sweep over the visiting Eagles on Wednesday night.

"Last year we wouldn't have been able to do that in the last set, and that's why I'm emotional," Hajjar said. "I was able to experience last year, and it was so frustrating because they had such potential. But because (this year's players) don't let up and they pick each other up, we were able to do that."

In the first set, the Warriors controlled the tempo.

Rosewood and EW were tied once, but the Warriors never relinquished their lead. The Eagles narrowed the deficit to 22-20, but two consecutive errors and a service ace by EW disrupted any chance of a comeback.

Eagles' junior Toree Marak had two kills in the opening set. The Warriors' sophomore Alyssa Jackson tallied three blocks.

Toward the middle of the second set, Rosewood found itself up 12-11. But EW took a timeout, regained its composure and responded with an 8-0 run to build a commanding 19-12 edge.

The Eagles were frustrated by the Warriors' serving during the second set. EW captain Jennifer Sparks posted seven service aces in the middle set.

"They have a couple of offensive weapons that we don't have," said Eagles' head coach Jennifer Cochran. "If we had a record of 5-0, then we'd have a little bit more confidence. So I think that's riding on them, too. But we're getting better, so I'm pleased with what I saw."

For most of the third set, the Eagles played well. Rosewood jumped out to a 16-11 advantage -- its largest lead of the night. However, they proceeded to dig another hole by allowing EW to go on a 12-3 run to take a 23-19 lead.

After a string of unforced errors by EW, the Eagles were once again on the upswing, tying the score at 24. But a hitting error by the Eagles and Newsome's emotional kill put an end to the Eagles' roller coaster ride.

Rosewood seniors Ada Rivera, Hailey Weeks and Hannah Daniels each posted a team-high four kills. Newsome led EW with four kills as well.

When the Warriors approach their challenging conference schedule, Hajjar knows her team will have to show toughness on a more consistent basis.

And even though the team has just three returning starters, she believes this year's squad is more capable of making a run because they've shown willingness to battle.

"We can coach them all day long," Hajjar said. "But it's their choice and their responsibility if they want to talk and get the ball over and pick each other up. And they're realizing that every game more and more."