VOLLEYBALL: Rampants run past Golden Falcons

By Ben Coley
Published in Sports on September 21, 2016 9:59 AM

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bcoley@newsargus.com

PIKEVILLE -- Midway through the fourth set, J.H. Rose was in complete cruise control, while Charles B. Aycock began to falter.

The Rampants built a 17-3 lead, and were already up 2-1 in the match. But then the Golden Falcons' Arlanda Faulkner slammed a kill.

The boisterous hit sparked a 12-1 run. Rose eventually countered, causing CBA to pick up the 25-21, 15-25, 18-25, 21-25 four-set loss in Eastern Carolina 3-A/4-A Conference play Tuesday afternoon.

But in defeat, the Golden Falcons managed to build confidence and momentum.

"As long as we do everything that we do well, we can beat any team," said CBA head coach Tangela Faulkner said. "This was a team that was easily beatable had we been doing all those things like the first set. On any given day, we can beat any team. That's the mindset I give these girls."

Everything seemed to click for CBA in the first set. The Golden Falcons jumped to a 13-6 lead. And after Rose battled back to take a 20-17 edge, CBA answered immediately with an 8-1 run to take the opening set.

"In the beginning of the game, we came out swinging," Faulkner said. "We were very aggressive and just playing the net well. Our front line was solid, and we were getting our hands on a lot of blocks. And we served aggressively."

Rose -- the 2014 state 4-A champion -- took the jab to the chin and responded with a powerful right uppercut.

After being down 5-1 to begin the second set, Rose zoomed to an 18-12 advantage, and soon tied the match at one-all.

Rose remained aggressive in the third set to take the 2-1 match lead. CBA never led by more than one point.

In the fourth set, the Rampants continued to overpower CBA until the kill by Arlanda Faulkner that sparked the huge Golden Falcons' run. Even though they dropped the fourth set and the match, Faulkner appreciated the perseverance of her team.

"Our team never stops," Faulkner said. "I told the girls, 'If we're going down, we're going down with a fight.' I told them to play with everything they've got and go out there and have fun. Those girls dug and fought for every point from then on."

Cassandra Lassiter posted 41 digs in the match and Hannah Carter dished 27 assists. Arlanda Faulkner led the team with 14 kills and was second behind Lassiter with 27 digs.

It was just the third loss of the season for CBA, with the other two defeats coming against 4-A conference powers D.H. Conley and New Burn.

But coach Faulkner said her team can handle the bigger schools, as revealed by the first and fourth set. She believed the higher level of competition will help prepare her team for the playoffs.

"If we take a loss, against one of these 4-A schools, we're preparing for playoffs," Faulkner said. "And that is all we focus on. And I told them I don't care how bad we get beat, we have to fight for every point because when we get in playoffs, we're going to face another animal."