Wayne Country Day turns back JPJ II in four sets

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on October 18, 2016 9:57 AM

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After an unforced error gave Pope John Paul II the third set on Monday afternoon, Wayne Country Day's players headed back to the bench.

Head volleyball coach Haleigh Wilhade had a simple, but perfect message.

"That game is over," she said.

The players responded, "what game?"

"I said 'exactly, we've got a new slate'," Wilhade replied.

The Chargers shook off an error-filled third set and claimed a 25-12, 25-18, 20-25, 25-14 victory over their Coastal Plains Independent 1-A Conference rival. The teams shared second place during regular-season play and were expected to meet in the CPIC tournament that was cancelled due to Hurricane Matthew.

It was a high-stakes affair.

WCDS gained the upper edge regarding postseason implications and expects to receive an at-large bid along with PJP to the newly-expanded 16-team N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association playoffs. The seedings will be released Wednesday afternoon.

"I'm anxious for Wednesday," said Wilhade, whose team hadn't played a live match since Sept. 29. "We were told this game was important. They knew that. I told them that everything counts from here on out. I think they're hungry for that (playoff bid), too."

The Chargers' last reached the playoffs in 2012.

Their mission was evident from DeKiya Thomas' first serve - an ace - in the opening set. The hard shot sparked a 10-0 run and the Saints never recovered. Thomas and junior libero Katie Strickland combined for 17 of the Chargers' 25 aces as a team.

Tied at 15-15 in the second set, WCDS (9-10 overall) seized control with Thomas' off-speed shot to the back right corner. Hannah Neal delivered an ace and Lillian Freeman smacked an in-your-face overpass kill back to the Saints.

Kyara Drew capped the set with an ace.

Eager to complete a straight-set sweep, the Chargers bolted to a 12-4 lead in the early stages of the third set. PJP slowly inched its way back into the contest and trailed 17-14 when a WCDS net violation turned the tide.

The Saints reeled off a set-clinching 12-3 run. The Chargers supplied nine unforced errors during the spurt and 18 overall in the set.

"They just regrouped (after that)," Wilhade said. "They played as a team. They wanted it."

WCDS seized a seven-point lead midway through the set and polished off its guest with a match-clinching 6-1 run. Not suprisingly, Thomas served as the sparkplug with three aces and assisted on Neal's team-leading 11th - and final - kill of the match. The Chargers cranked out 43 kills as a team, while Thomas and Drew combined for 34 of the team's 37 assists.