STORY: Eagles come back to defeat Chargers

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on September 13, 2016 9:59 AM

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The good vibes started during the warm-up period.

Wayne Country Day efficiently ran its offensive drill, mashing solid shots to different parts of the court as teammates attempted to dig up the hard hits. The Chargers even looked crisp at service line.

Was an upset brewing?

"I could tell that our girls were on point and they were ready, so I was excited to see it," Chargers head coach Haleigh Wilhade said.

Her enthusiasm grew in the opening set.

DeKiya Thomas toed the service line and reeled off back-to-back aces against county - and now league rival - Wayne Christian.

"We were roaring and I thought, 'Oh, we're about to have a ballgame,'" Wilhade said.

The Chargers claimed the opening set.

Surprised - and impressed - by the unexpected challenge, the Eagles rebounded with a 20-25, 25-8, 26-24, 25-19 decision to remain unbeaten in six Coastal Plains Independent 1-A Conference outings this season.

Senior middle hitter Hannah Sladick cranked out 20 kills and setter Kasey Norris distributed 37 assists among six hitters as Wayne Christian (15-1 overall) extended its win streak to 10.

"I've got to give a lot of credit to Wayne Country Day," Eagles head coach Rick Moore said. "They are improving and they made us play today. They're a force to be reckoned with (and) yeah, I'm impressed. They are playing some good ball."

Wayne Country Day (4-8, 3-2) hustled for loose balls throughout opening set and kept Wayne Christian from getting into its offensive system. Thomas and fellow setter Kyara Drew ran the Chargers' scheme with a workman-like precision that turned a 10-10 tie in a 17-11 lead.

Lillian Freeman provided a kill and posted two solo blocks during that stretch. The solid play and the Eagles' inability to overcome uncharacteristic unforced errors allowed the Chargers to keep momentum and pull off a stunning five-point win.

The Eagles regained their composure over the next three sets.

Sladick, Mercy Wright and Hope Shook consistently controlled the net, while the back row - libero Holley Gurley, Ashlee Harrelson and Amanda Morrell - fed solid passes to Norris. Sideouts became less frequent as the Eagles staged multiple-point runs.

An unforced error capped the second set and tied the match at 1-all.

Sladick's kill off Norris' assist and an attack error closed out the third set in the Eagles' favor. Sladick polished off Wayne Christian's third victory over WCDS this season with a kill off Norris' final assist of the day.

Jala Holloman led the Chargers with six kills. Thomas had five kills. Freeman, Hannah Neal and Olivia Dively registered four kills apiece. Thomas handed out 20 assists and WCDS served 11 aces a team.

"We were back (in the match)," Wilhade said of her team's scrappy effort that undoubtedly caught the Eagles' attention and sent a message that they could possibly meet a fourth time in the CPIC tournament final.

"It came down to who could finish it and we didn't tonight. We'll deliver. I believe in them. They believe, too."