VOLLEYBALL: Princeton sweeps Carolina 1A foe Spring Creek

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on September 9, 2016 9:57 AM

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PRINCETON -- Led by senior outside hitter Kortney Edwards, the Princeton High varsity volleyball team delivered a resounding Carolina 1-A league victory Thursday evening, turning back foe Spring Creek in a 25-12, 25-10, 25-16 straight set triumph at Deacon Jones Gymnasium.

The performance was a clinic in three acts.

Edwards began the affair from the service line, prompting the hosts to seven quick points and the Gators to burn their first time out. From there, the Bulldogs finished the opener with a polished display of balance.

The trio of Edwards, Leah Narron and senior Daisey Eklund inflicted most of the damage, extending the blue-and-gold edge to 17-6 on the strength of positioning, crisp passing and dominant play at the net.

Eight warp-speed points later, Princeton led 1-0.

"Kortney was on from the start," head coach Paige Renfrow said. "She was a big asset tonight. I feel like we played well."

For Spring Creek (0-6 overall, 0-3 CC), the second set brought more of the same.

Plagued by unforced errors and spotty communication, the Gators fell behind 12-8. After a Narron ace, the Gators suffered at the hands of a 9-1 Bulldog run that put matters out of reach.

"We just struggled tonight from the get-go," said Gators' head coach Staci Haynes. "We let ourselves get down from silly mistakes."

Senior Beth Braswell, who led Princeton with 23 assists on the evening, took advantage and served out the set to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 advantage and clear inroad to their second consecutive victory.

That's not to say their effort was perfect, however.

Princeton became lax at times, committing five service errors in the second stanza and the majority of its eight attack miscues in the third, despite racing out to another early advantage.

With her team leading 13-6 and the mistakes mounting, a frustrated Renfrow had witnessed enough. Following an unforced passing error, she emphatically demanded her troops clean up their play.

"We've got to keep our side clean," the coach remarked. "That's one thing I've been stressing this year. We've got to eliminate our errors."

And the Bulldogs did just that.

Their coach's directive brought matters back under control, and when Edwards' service ace -- her fourth of the match -- made the score 18-9, the evening had a visible finish line.

As a unit, the Bulldogs registered 27 kills on the evening, led by Edwards' nine. Eklund contributed six, and senior Erika Hines four. Middle hitter Maryssa Proctor and Emily Ricks chipped in three apiece, respectively.

Princeton (7-3, 4-0) plays host to North Duplin on Tuesday.